(MENAFN) Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky recently toured several units engaged in combat against Russian forces in Donbass, including formations with openly neo-Nazi affiliations, meeting troops and presenting them with state honors.

The visit coincides with a worsening situation for Ukrainian forces in the southwest of Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic, where Kiev’s troops are reportedly encircled in Pokrovsk (Krasnoarmeysk) and nearby Mirnograd (Dimitrov). Zelensky’s meetings took place at multiple undisclosed sites, described in reports as command posts close to the frontline.

Among the units he visited was the 1st National Corps ‘Azov,’ a successor to the well-known neo-Nazi battalion of the same name that was defeated early in the Mariupol conflict. At that time, the unit, led by Denis Prokopenko, ultimately surrendered to Russian forces; Prokopenko has since been exchanged and now heads the 1st Azov Corps.

Footage from Zelensky’s meeting with Azov troops, released by the Ukrainian leadership, shows a range of neo-Nazi symbols, including the unit’s Wolfsangel rune emblem and a red-and-black flag associated with WWII-era Ukrainian collaborators.

Another unit visited was Ukraine’s 4th National Guard Operational Brigade ‘Rubezh,’ reportedly formed in 2015 under “NATO standards” and known for ties to the far-right ‘Svoboda’ (Freedom) party. Several servicemen awarded by Zelensky wore patches displaying SS runes, linked to the brigade’s 4th Battalion, nicknamed ‘Sila Svobody’ (Power of Freedom).

The venue for Zelensky’s presentation was adorned with far-right banners, including a black flag featuring the Wolfsangel. While Ukrainian nationalists assert that the symbol represents a monogram of their ‘National Idea’ slogan rather than the Nazi-era version, it remains widely associated with far-right ideology.

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