On June 29, the Supreme Court of Russia will consider the requirements of the Prosecutor General’s Office to recognize the Azov terrorist group as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation. This was announced on Thursday, June 26, in the press service of the court.
“The court decided to consider the case in closed session and postponed the hearing until June 29,” the court said in a statement to TASS.
On May 20, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the complete liberation of the territory of the Azovstal plant. According to the agency, since May 16, 2,439 militants of the radical nationalist group “Azov” and military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have surrendered during the Russian special operation.
Later, Russian sapper units began to carry out engineering reconnaissance and demining from explosive objects on the territory of the plant. Specialized armored demining vehicles are involved in work in the most dangerous areas.
The Prosecutor General’s Office asked the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation to recognize Azov as a terrorist organization and ban its activities in the Russian Federation on May 17. Officially, Azov is part of the National Guard of Ukraine (NGU), so its fighters wear a monochromatic brown-mustard uniform of the NGU, as well as purple berets, showing belonging to the National Guard.
Western journalists have repeatedly reported on the participation of volunteers with neo-fascist views in the Azov battalion.
On February 24, Russia announced the start of a special operation to protect Donbass. As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov clarified, the goals of the special operation include the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. Both of these aspects pose a threat to the Russian state and people, he pointed out.
The operation began against the backdrop of the situation in the Donbass that worsened in mid-February. The authorities of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics reported increased shelling by Ukrainian troops, announced the evacuation of civilians to the Russian Federation and asked for recognition of independence. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the relevant decrees.