The commander in question is Azov Major Denis Prokopenko, who hails from a gang called the Azov Battalion, which Wikipedia currently describes as a “right-wing extremist, neo-Nazi, formerly paramilitary unit of the National Guard of Ukraine.” Wikipedia also acknowledges that these neo-Nazis are not only promoted by but actively work for the Ukrainian government; they state that Azov Battalion was incorporated into the country’s National Guard in November of 2014.
CNN simply described the neo-Nazi commander as a “Ukrainian military commander who has been defending the city from the siege.”
This was not the only time the fake news outlet seemingly overlooked Prokopenko’s Neo-Nazi origin. A March 19 CNN report titled “Mariupol residents are being forced to go to Russia, city council says” quoted him simply as “Major Denis Prokopenko, from the National Guard Azov Regiment,” — no further details were given.
It is just staggering that the liberal wing of the US corporate media has spent years smearing as "Nazis" all Americans who wear MAGA hats, oppose vaccine mandates, protest school curricula, etc.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 22, 2022
Then they find actual, literal, real-life Nazis in Ukraine, and celebrate them: https://t.co/llleDEKy7x
