Read previewThe US State Department announced Monday that it has lifted a ban on the Azov Brigade, a former Ukrainian militia group with an ultranationalist history, allowing the current National Guard unit to receive American weapon shipments and training. A State Department spokesperson told BBC on Tuesday that following a vetting of the brigade, there was "no evidence of gross violations of human rights." Related storiesNow known as the Azov Brigade, the unit became part of the Ukrainian National Guard in 2015. AdvertisementThe State Department has dismissed the congressional ban and said the Azov Brigade "passed Leahy vetting," referring to Leahy Law, which prevents the US from supporting foreign entities that have committed major human rights violations. The Azov Brigade has claimed that it has evolved from its problematic past and that its leadership has changed since its inception.

---

Persons: —, Leahy, Dmytro Kozatski, Ruslan Muzychuk, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, US State Department, Azov Brigade, National Guard, State Department, BBC, Business, Azov Battalion, Ukrainian National Guard, Department, Leahy Law, Azov Special Forces Regiment, Ukrainian National Guard Press, Washington Post Locations: Ukrainian, Ukraine, Mariupol, United States