Azov, the controversial Ukrainian National Guard brigade, has been reorganized and is back on the frontlines fighting Russian troops in eastern Ukraine, according to Kiev.
"The legendary special brigade Azov has begun combat operations in the area of the Serebryanka forest," said Colonel Mykola Urshalovych, who is responsible for the National Guard's operational planning, according to a statement on Thursday.
Serebryanka is in the eastern Luhansk region. The brigade also includes an artillery unit, according to the statement.
The volunteer unit, founded by right-wing extremists in 2014, has long served Russian propaganda as an example of alleged "Nazi rule" in Ukraine. Moscow had also justified its invasion of Ukraine more than 17 months ago by saying it is "denazifying" its neighbour.
During the fighting around the port city of Mariupol, the former Azov regiment was encircled and the survivors were taken prisoner by the Russians. Most of the severely wounded were later exchanged for captured Russians.
Several Azov officers handed over to Turkey by Russia returned home in early July after a visit to Turkey by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the original agreement, they were to remain in Turkey until the end of the war. Russia criticized the fighters' return to Ukraine as a breach of the agreement.
