title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Variant of Concern 21FEB-02 (previously written as VOC-202102/02), described by Public Health England (PHE) as "B.1.1.7 with E484K" is of the same lineage in the Pango nomenclature system, but has an additional E484K mutation. As of 17 March 2021, there were 39 confirmed cases of VOC-21FEB-02 in the UK. On 4 March 2021, scientists reported B.1.1.7 with E484K mutations in the state of Oregon. In 13 test samples analysed, one had this combination, which appeared to have arisen spontaneously and locally, rather than being imported. Other names for this variant include B.1.1.7+E484K and B.1.1.7 Lineage with S:E484K.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 18 December 2020, the 501.V2 variant, also known as 501.V2, 20H (V2), 20H/501Y.V2 (formerly 20C/501Y.V2), 501Y.V2, VOC-20DEC-02 (formerly VOC-202012/02), or lineage B.1.351, was first detected in South Africa and reported by the country's health department. It has been labelled as Beta variant by WHO. Researchers and officials reported that the prevalence of the variant was higher among young people with no underlying health conditions, and by comparison with other variants it is more frequently resulting in serious illness in those cases. The South African health department also indicated that the variant may be driving the second wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in the country due to the variant spreading at a more rapid pace than other earlier variants of the virus.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Scientists noted that the variant contains several mutations that allow it to attach more easily to human cells because of the following three mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) in the spike glycoprotein of the virus: N501Y, K417N, and E484K. The N501Y mutation has also been detected in the United Kingdom.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 16 March 2022, the WHO has de-escalated the Beta variant and its subvariants to "previously circulating variants of concern".


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The Gamma variant or lineage P.1, termed Variant of Concern 21JAN-02 (formerly VOC-202101/02) by Public Health England, 20J (V3) or 20J/501Y.V3 by Nextstrain, or just 501Y.V3, was detected in Tokyo on 6 January 2021 by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID). It has been labelled as Gamma variant by WHO. The new variant was first identified in four people who arrived in Tokyo having travelled from the Brazilian Amazonas state on 2 January 2021. On 12 January 2021, the Brazil-UK CADDE Centre confirmed 13 local cases of the new Gamma variant in the Amazon rainforest. This variant of SARS-CoV-2 has been named lineage P.1 (although it is a descendant of B.1.1.28, the name B.1.1.28.1 is not permitted and thus the resultant name is P.1), and has 17 unique amino acid changes, 10 of which in its spike protein, including the three concerning mutations: N501Y, E484K and K417T.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The N501Y and E484K mutations favour the formation of a stable RBD-hACE2 complex, thus, enhancing the binding affinity of RBD to hACE2. However, the K417T mutation disfavours complex formation between RBD and hACE2, which has been demonstrated to reduce the binding affinity.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The new variant was absent in samples collected from March to November 2020 in Manaus, Amazonas state, but it was detected for the same city in 42% of the samples from 15 to 23 December 2020, followed by 52.2% during 15–31 December and 85.4% during 1–9 January 2021. A study found that infections by Gamma can produce nearly ten times more viral load compared to persons infected by one of the other lineages identified in Brazil (B.1.1.28 or B.1.195). Gamma also showed 2.2 times higher transmissibility with the same ability to infect both adults and older persons, suggesting P.1 and P.1-like lineages are more successful at infecting younger humans irrespective of sex.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: A study of samples collected in Manaus between November 2020 and January 2021, indicated that the Gamma variant is 1.4–2.2 times more transmissible and was shown to be capable of evading 25–61% of inherited immunity from previous coronavirus diseases, leading to the possibility of reinfection after recovery from an earlier COVID-19 infection. As for the fatality ratio, infections by Gamma were also found to be 10–80% more lethal.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: A study found that people fully vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna have significantly decreased neutralisation effect against Gamma, although the actual impact on the course of the disease is uncertain.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: A pre-print study by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation published in early April found that the real-world performance of people with the initial dose of the Sinovac's Coronavac Vaccine had approximately 50% efficacy rate. They expected the efficacy to be higher after the 2nd dose. As of July 2021, the study is ongoing.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Preliminary data from two studies indicate that the Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine is effective against the Gamma variant, although the exact level of efficacy has not yet been released. Preliminary data from a study conducted by Instituto Butantan suggest that CoronaVac is effective against the Gamma variant as well, and as of July 2021 has yet to be expanded to obtain definitive data.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 16 March 2022, the WHO has de-escalated the Gamma variant and its subvariants to "previously circulating variants of concern".


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The Delta variant, also known as B.1.617.2, G/452R.V3, 21A or 21A/S:478K, was a globally dominant variant that spread to at least 185 countries. It was first discovered in India. Descendant of lineage B.1.617, which also includes the Kappa variant under investigation, it was first discovered in October 2020 and has since spread internationally. On 6 May 2021, British scientists declared B.1.617.2 (which notably lacks mutation at E484Q) as a "variant of concern", labelling it VOC-21APR-02, after they flagged evidence that it spreads more quickly than the original version of the virus and could spread quicker or as quickly as Alpha. It carries L452R and P681R mutations in Spike; unlike Kappa it carries T478K but not E484Q.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 3 June 2021, Public Health England reported that twelve of the 42 deaths from the Delta variant in England were among the fully vaccinated, and that it was spreading almost twice as fast as the Alpha variant. Also on 11 June, Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, Canada reported that half of their 22 cases of the Delta variant occurred among the fully vaccinated.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: In June 2021, reports began to appear of a variant of Delta with the K417N mutation. The mutation, also present in the Beta and Gamma variants, raised concerns about the possibility of reduced effectiveness of vaccines and antibody treatments and increased risk of reinfection. The variant, called "Delta with K417N" by Public Health England, includes two clades corresponding to the Pango lineages AY.1 and AY.2. It has been nicknamed "Delta plus" from "Delta plus K417N". The name of the mutation, K417N, refers to an exchange whereby lysine (K) is replaced by asparagine (N) at position 417. On 22 June, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare declared the "Delta plus" variant of COVID-19 a Variant of Concern after 22 cases of the variant were reported in India. After the announcement, leading virologists said there was insufficient data to support labelling the variant as a distinct variant of concern, pointing to the small number of patients studied. In the UK in July 2021, AY.4.2 was identified. Alongside those previously mentioned it also gained the nickname 'Delta Plus', on the strength of its extra mutations, Y145H and A222V. These are not unique to it, but distinguish it from the original Delta variant.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 7 June 2022, the WHO has de-escalated the Delta variant and its subvariants to "previously circulating variants of concern".


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The Epsilon variant or lineage B.1.429, also known as CAL.20C or CAVUI1, 21C or 20C/S:452R, is defined by five distinct mutations (I4205V and D1183Y in the ORF1ab gene, and S13I, W152C, L452R in the spike protein's S-gene), of which the L452R (previously also detected in other unrelated lineages) was of particular concern. From 17 March to 29 June 2021, the CDC listed B.1.429 and the related B.1.427 as "variants of concern". As of July 2021, Epsilon is no longer considered a variant of interest by the WHO, as it was overtaken by Alpha.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: From September 2020 to January 2021, it was 19% to 24% more transmissible than earlier variants in California. Neutralisation against it by antibodies from natural infections and vaccinations was moderately reduced, but it remained detectable in most diagnostic tests.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Epsilon (CAL.20C) was first observed in July 2020 by researchers at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, California, in one of 1,230 virus samples collected in Los Angeles County since the start of the COVID-19 epidemic. It was not detected again until September when it reappeared among samples in California, but numbers remained very low until November. In November 2020, the Epsilon variant accounted for 36 per cent of samples collected at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and by January 2021, the Epsilon variant accounted for 50 per cent of samples. In a joint press release by University of California, San Francisco, California Department of Public Health, and Santa Clara County Public Health Department, the variant was also detected in multiple counties in Northern California. From November to December 2020, the frequency of the variant in sequenced cases from Northern California rose from 3% to 25%. In a preprint, CAL.20C is described as belonging to clade 20C and contributing approximately 36% of samples, while an emerging variant from the 20G clade accounts for some 24% of the samples in a study focused on Southern California. Note, however, that in the US as a whole, the 20G clade predominates, as of January 2021. Following the increasing numbers of Epsilon in California, the variant has been detected at varying frequencies in most US states. Small numbers have been detected in other countries in North America, and in Europe, Asia and Australia. After an initial increase, its frequency rapidly dropped from February 2021 as it was being outcompeted by the more transmissible Alpha. In April, Epsilon remained relatively frequent in parts of northern California, but it had virtually disappeared from the south of the state and had never been able to establish a foothold elsewhere; only 3.2% of all cases in the United States were Epsilon, whereas more than two-thirds were Alpha.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Zeta variant or lineage P.2, a sub-lineage of B.1.1.28 like Gamma (P.1), was first detected in circulation in the state of Rio de Janeiro; it harbours the E484K mutation, but not the N501Y and K417T mutations. It evolved independently in Rio de Janeiro without being directly related to the Gamma variant from Manaus. Though previously Zeta was labeled a variant of interest, as of July 2021, it is no longer considered as such by the WHO.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The Eta variant or lineage B.1.525, also called VUI-21FEB-03 (previously VUI-202102/03) by Public Health England (PHE) and formerly known as UK1188, 21D or 20A/S:484K, does not carry the same N501Y mutation found in Alpha, Beta and Gamma, but carries the same E484K-mutation as found in the Gamma, Zeta, and Beta variants, and also carries the same ΔH69/ΔV70 deletion (a deletion of the amino acids histidine and valine in positions 69 and 70) as found in Alpha, N439K variant (B.1.141 and B.1.258) and Y453F variant (Cluster 5). Eta differs from all other variants by having both the E484K-mutation and a new F888L mutation (a substitution of phenylalanine (F) with leucine (L) in the S2 domain of the spike protein). As of 5 March 2021, it had been detected in 23 countries. It has also been reported in Mayotte, the overseas department/region of France. The first cases were detected in December 2020 in the UK and Nigeria, and as of 15 February 2021, it had occurred in the highest frequency among samples in the latter country. As of 24 February 56 cases were found in the UK. Denmark, which sequences all its COVID-19 cases, found 113 cases of this variant from 14 January to 21 February 2021, of which seven were directly related to foreign travel to Nigeria.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: As of July 2021, UK experts are studying it to ascertain how much of a risk it could be. It is currently regarded as a "variant under investigation", but pending further study, it may become a "variant of concern". Ravi Gupta, from the University of Cambridge said in a BBC interview that lineage B.1.525 appeared to have "significant mutations" already seen in some of the other newer variants, which means their likely effect is to some extent more predictable.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 18 February 2021, the Department of Health of the Philippines confirmed the detection of two mutations of COVID-19 in Central Visayas after samples from patients were sent to undergo genome sequencing. The mutations were later named as E484K and N501Y, which were detected in 37 out of 50 samples, with both mutations co-occurrent in 29 out of these.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 13 March, the Department of Health confirmed the mutations constitutes a variant which was designated as lineage P.3. On the same day, it also confirmed the first COVID-19 case caused by the Gamma variant in the country. The Philippines had 98 cases of the Theta variant on 13 March. On 12 March it was announced that Theta had also been detected in Japan. On 17 March, the United Kingdom confirmed its first two cases, where PHE termed it VUI-21MAR-02.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: In November 2020, a mutant variant was discovered in New York City, which was named lineage B.1.526. As of 11 April 2021, the variant has been detected in at least 48 U.S. states and 18 countries. In a pattern mirroring Epsilon, Iota was initially able to reach relatively high levels in some states, but by May 2021 it was outcompeted by the more transmissible Delta and Alpha.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The Kappa variant is one of the three sublineages of lineage B.1.617. It is also known as lineage B.1.617.1, 21B or 21A/S:154K, and was first detected in India in December 2020. By the end of March 2021, Kappa accounted for more than half of the sequences being submitted from India. On 1 April 2021, it was designated a variant under investigation (VUI-21APR-01) by Public Health England. It has the notable mutations L452R, E484Q, P681R.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The Lambda variant, also known as lineage C.37, was first detected in Peru in August 2020 and was designated by the WHO as a variant of interest on 14 June 2021. It spread to at least 30 countries around the world and, , it is unknown whether it is more infectious and resistant to vaccines than other strains. On 16 March 2022, the WHO has de-escalated the Lambda variant to "previously circulating variants of concern".


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The Mu variant, also known as lineage B.1.621, was first detected in Colombia in January 2021 and was designated by the WHO as a variant of interest on 30 August 2021. There have been outbreaks in South America and Europe. On 16 March 2022, the WHO has de-escalated the Mu variant and its subvariants to "previously circulating variants of concern".


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The variants listed below were once listed under variants under monitoring, but were reclassified due to either no longer circulating at a significant level, not having had a significant impact on the situation, or scientific evidence of the variant not having concerning properties.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Lineage B.1.1.207 was first sequenced in August 2020 in Nigeria; the implications for transmission and virulence are unclear but it has been listed as an emerging variant by the US Centers for Disease Control. Sequenced by the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases in Nigeria, this variant has a P681H mutation, shared in common with the Alpha variant. It shares no other mutations with the Alpha variant and as of late December 2020 this variant accounts for around 1% of viral genomes sequenced in Nigeria, though this may rise. As of May 2021, lineage B.1.1.207 has been detected in 10 countries.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Lineage B.1.1.317, while not considered a variant of concern, is noteworthy in that Queensland Health forced 2 people undertaking hotel quarantine in Brisbane, Australia to undergo an additional 5 days' quarantine on top of the mandatory 14 days after it was confirmed they were infected with this variant.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Lineage B.1.616, being identified in Brittany, Western France in early January 2021 and designated by WHO as "Variant under investigation" in March 2021, was reported to be difficult to detect from nasopharyngeal swab sampling method of coronavirus detection, and detection of the virus needs to rely on samples from lower respiratory tract.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Lineage B.1.618 was first isolated in October 2020. It has the E484K mutation in common with several other variants, and showed significant spread in April 2021 in West Bengal, India. As of 23 April 2021, the PANGOLIN database showed 135 sequences detected in India, with single-figure numbers in each of eight other countries worldwide.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: In July 2021, scientists reported in a preprint which was published in a journal in February 2022, the detection of anomalous unnamed unknown-host SARS-CoV-2 lineages via wastewater surveillance in New York City. They hypothesized that "these lineages are derived from unsampled human COVID-19 infections or that they indicate the presence of a non-human animal reservoir".<ref name="10.1038/s41467-022-28246-3"></ref>


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: In March 2022, researchers reported SARS-CoV-2 variant recombinant viruses that contain elements of Delta and Omicron – Deltacron (also called "Deltamicron").<ref name="10.1101/2022.03.03.22271812v2"></ref> Recombination occurs when a virus combines parts from a related virus with its genetic sequence as it assembles copies of itself. It is unclear whether Deltacron – which is not to be confused with "Deltacron" reported in January albeit the first detection was also in January – will be able to compete with Omicron and whether that would be detrimental to health.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, del 69-70, or 69-70 del, or other similar notations, refers to the deletion of amino acid at position 69 to 70. The mutation is found in the Alpha variant, and could lead to "spike gene target failure" and result in false negative result in PCR virus test.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Otherwise referred to as del 246-252, or other various similar expression, refer to the deletion of amino acid from the position of 246 to 252, in the N-terminal domain of spike protein, accompanied with a replacement of the aspartic acid (D) at the position 253 for asparagine (N).


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The 7 amino acid deletion mutation is currently described as unique in the Lambda variant, and have been attributed to as one of the cause of the strain's increased capability to escape from neutralizing antibodies according to preprint paper.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, N440K, refers to an exchange whereby the asparagine (N) is replaced by lysine (K) at position 440.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: This mutation has been observed in cell cultures to be 10 times more infective compared to the previously widespread A2a strain (A97V substitution in RdRP sequence) and 1000 times more in the lesser widespread A3i strain (D614G substitution in Spike and a and P323L substitution in RdRP). It was involved in rapid surges of COVID-19 cases in India in May 2021. India has the largest proportion of N440K mutated variants followed by the US and Germany.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, G446V, refers to an exchange whereby the glycine (G) is replaced by valine (V) at position 446.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The mutation, identified in Japan among inbound travelers starting from May, and among 33 samples from individuals related to 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, are said to be possible to impact affinity of multiple monoclonal antibody, although its clinical impact against the use of antibody medicine is still yet to be known.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, L452R, refers to an exchange whereby the leucine (L) is replaced by arginine (R) at position 452.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: L452R is found in both the Delta and Kappa variants which first circulated in India, but have since spread around the world. L452R is a relevant mutation in this strain that enhances ACE2 receptor binding ability and can reduce vaccine-stimulated antibodies from attaching to this altered spike protein.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: L452R, some studies show, could even make the coronavirus resistant to T cells, that are necessary to target and destroy virus-infected cells. They are different from antibodies that are useful in blocking coronavirus particles and preventing it from proliferating.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, Y453F, refers to an exchange whereby the tyrosine (Y) is replaced by phenylalanine (F) at position 453. The mutation have been found potentially linked to the spread of SARS-CoV-2 among minks in the Netherlands in 2020.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: A highly flexible region in the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2, starting from residue 475 and continuing up to residue 485, was identified using bioinformatics and statistical methods in several studies. The University of Graz and the Biotech Company Innophore have shown in a recent publication that structurally, the position S477 shows the highest flexibility among them.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: At the same time, S477 is hitherto the most frequently exchanged amino acid residue in the RBDs of SARS-CoV-2 mutants. By using molecular dynamics simulations of RBD during the binding process to hACE2, it has been shown that both S477G and S477N strengthen the binding of the SARS-COV-2 spike with the hACE2 receptor. The vaccine developer BioNTech referenced this amino acid exchange as relevant regarding future vaccine design in a preprint published in February 2021.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, E484Q, refers to an exchange whereby the glutamic acid (E) is replaced by glutamine (Q) at position 484.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The Kappa variant circulating in India has E484Q. These variants were initially (but misleadingly) referred to as a "double mutant". E484Q may enhance ACE2 receptor binding ability, and may reduce vaccine-stimulated antibodies' ability to attach to this altered spike protein.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, E484K, refers to an exchange whereby the glutamic acid (E) is replaced by lysine (K) at position 484. It is nicknamed "Eeek".


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: E484K has been reported to be an escape mutation (i.e., a mutation that improves a virus's ability to evade the host's immune system) from at least one form of monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2, indicating there may be a "possible change in antigenicity". The Gamma variant (lineage P.1), the Zeta variant (lineage P.2, also known as lineage B.1.1.28.2) and the Beta variant (501.V2) exhibit this mutation. A limited number of lineage B.1.1.7 genomes with E484K mutation have also been detected. Monoclonal and serum-derived antibodies are reported to be from 10 to 60 times less effective in neutralising virus bearing the E484K mutation. On 2 February 2021, medical scientists in the United Kingdom reported the detection of E484K in 11 samples (out of 214,000 samples), a mutation that may compromise current vaccine effectiveness.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: It is one of the mutation found in Lambda, and have been associated with reduced susceptibility to antibody generated by those who were infected with other strains, meaning antibody treatment against people infected with strains carrying such mutation would be less effective.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: N501Y denotes a change from asparagine (N) to tyrosine (Y) in amino-acid position 501. N501Y has been nicknamed "Nelly".


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: This change is believed by PHE to increase binding affinity because of its position inside the spike glycoprotein's receptor-binding domain, which binds ACE2 in human cells; data also support the hypothesis of increased binding affinity from this change. Molecular interaction modelling and the free energy of binding calculations has demonstrated that the mutation N501Y has the highest binding affinity in variants of concern RBD to hACE2. Variants with N501Y include Gamma, Alpha (VOC 20DEC-01), Beta, and COH.20G/501Y (identified in Columbus, Ohio). This last became the dominant form of the virus in Columbus in late December 2020 and January and appears to have evolved independently of other variants.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: As of September 2021, there are 8 cases of patients around the world infected with Delta variant which feature this N501S mutation. As it is considered a mutation similar to N501Y, it is suspected to have similar characteristics as N501Y mutation, which is believed to increase the infectivity of the virus, however the exact effect is unknown yet.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: D614G is a missense mutation that affects the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. From early appearances in Eastern China early in 2020, the frequency of this mutation in the global viral population increased early on during the pandemic. G (glycine) quickly replaced D (aspartic acid) at position 614 in Europe, though more slowly in China and the rest of East Asia, supporting the hypothesis that G increased the transmission rate, which is consistent with higher viral titres and infectivity in vitro. Researchers with the PANGOLIN tool nicknamed this mutation "Doug".


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: In July 2020, it was reported that the more infectious D614G SARS-CoV-2 variant had become the dominant form in the pandemic. PHE confirmed that the D614G mutation had a "moderate effect on transmissibility" and was being tracked internationally.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The global prevalence of D614G correlates with the prevalence of loss of smell (anosmia) as a symptom of COVID-19, possibly mediated by higher binding of the RBD to the ACE2 receptor or higher protein stability and hence higher infectivity of the olfactory epithelium.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Variants containing the D614G mutation are found in the G clade by GISAID and the B.1 clade by the PANGOLIN tool.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, Q677P/H, refers to an exchange whereby the glutamine (Q) is replaced by proline (P) or histidine (H) at position 677. There are several sub-lineages containing the Q677P mutation; six of these, which also contain various different combinations of other mutations, are referred to by names of birds. One of the earlier ones noticed for example is known as "Pelican," while the most common of these as of early 2021 was provisionally named "Robin 1."


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The mutation has been reported in multiple lineages circulating inside the United States as of late 2020 and also some lineages outside the country. 'Pelican' was first detected in Oregon, and as of early 2021 'Robin 1' was found often in the Midwestern United States, while another Q667H sub-lineage, 'Robin 2', was found mostly in the southeastern United States. The frequency of such mutation being recorded has increased from late 2020 to early 2021.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, P681H, refers to an exchange whereby the proline (P) is replaced by histidine (H) at position 681.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: In January 2021, scientists reported in a preprint that the mutation P681H, a characteristic feature of the Alpha variant and lineage B.1.1.207 (identified in Nigeria), is showing a significant exponential increase in worldwide frequency, thus following a trend to be expected in the lower limb of the logistics curve. This may be compared with the trend of the now globally prevalent D614G.<ref name="10.1101/2021.01.06.425497"> Available under CC BY 4.0 .</ref>


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The name of the mutation, P681R, refers to an exchange whereby the proline (P) is replaced by arginine (R) at position 681.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) found that other than the two mutations E484Q and L452R, there is also a third significant mutation, P681R in lineage B.1.617. All three concerning mutations are on the spike protein, the operative part of the coronavirus that binds to receptor cells of the body.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: According to initial media reports, the Malaysian Ministry of Health announced on 23 December 2020 that it had discovered a mutation in the SARS-CoV-2 genome which they designated as A701B(sic), among 60 samples collected from the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster in Sabah. The mutation was characterised as being similar to the one found recently at that time in South Africa, Australia, and the Netherlands, although it was uncertain if this mutation was more infectious or aggressive than before. The provincial government of Sulu in neighbouring Philippines temporarily suspended travel to Sabah in response to the discovery of 'A701B' due to uncertainty over the nature of the mutation.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 25 December 2020, the Malaysian Ministry of Health described a mutation A701V as circulating and present in 85% of cases (D614G was present in 100% of cases) in Malaysia. These reports also referred to samples collected from the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster. The text of the announcement was mirrored verbatim on the Facebook page of Noor Hisham Abdullah, Malay Director-General of Health, who was quoted in some of the news articles.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The A701V mutation has the amino acid alanine (A) substituted by valine (V) at position 701 in the spike protein. Globally, South Africa, Australia, Netherlands and England also reported A701V at about the same time as Malaysia. In GISAID, the prevalence of this mutation is found to be about 0.18%. of cases.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 14 April 2021, the Malaysian Ministry of Health reported that the third wave, which had started in Sabah, has involved the introduction of variants with D614G and A701V mutations.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The British government has reported a number of recombinant variants of SARS-CoV-2. These recombinant lineages have been given the Pango lineage identifiers XD, XE, and XF.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: XE is a recombinant lineage of Pango lineages BA.1 and BA.2. XE was believed to have a growth rate 9.8% greater than BA.2.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The interplay between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its human hosts was initially natural but then started being altered by the rising availability of vaccines seen in 2021. The potential emergence of a SARS-CoV-2 variant that is moderately or fully resistant to the antibody response elicited by the COVID-19 vaccines may necessitate modification of the vaccines. The emergence of vaccine-resistant variants is more likely in a highly vaccinated population with uncontrolled transmission.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: As of February 2021, the US Food and Drug Administration believed that all FDA authorized vaccines remained effective in protecting against circulating strains of SARS-CoV-2.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Modern DNA sequencing, where available, may permit rapid detection (sometimes known as 'real-time detection') of genetic variants that appear in pathogens during disease outbreaks. Through use of phylogenetic tree visualisation software, records of genome sequences can be clustered into groups of identical genomes all containing the same set of mutations. Each group represents a 'variant', 'clade', or 'lineage', and comparison of the sequences allows the evolutionary path of a virus to be deduced. For SARS-CoV-2, until March 2021, over 330,000 viral genomic sequences had been generated by molecular epidemiology studies across the world.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: On 26 January 2021, the British government said it would share its genomic sequencing capabilities with other countries in order to increase the genomic sequencing rate and trace new variants, and announced a "New Variant Assessment Platform". , more than half of all genomic sequencing of COVID-19 was carried out in the UK.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Wastewater surveillance was demonstrated to be one technique to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants and to track their rise for studying related ongoing infection dynamics.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Whether one or more mutations visible in RT-PCR tests can be used reliably to identify a variant depends on the prevalence of other variants currently circulating in the same population.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: Researchers have suggested that multiple mutations can arise in the course of the persistent infection of an immunocompromised patient, particularly when the virus develops escape mutations under the selection pressure of antibody or convalescent plasma treatment, with the same deletions in surface antigens repeatedly recurring in different patients.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: There is a risk that COVID-19 could transfer from humans to other animal populations and could combine with other animal viruses to create yet more variants that are dangerous to humans. Reverse zoonosis spillovers may cause reservoirs for mutating variants that spill back to humans – another possible source for variants of concern, in addition to immunocompromised people.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: In early November 2020, Cluster 5, also referred to as ΔFVI-spike by the Danish State Serum Institute (SSI), was discovered in Northern Jutland, Denmark. It is believed to have been spread from minks to humans via mink farms. On 4 November 2020, it was announced that the mink population in Denmark would be culled to prevent the possible spread of this mutation and reduce the risk of new mutations happening. A lockdown and travel restrictions were introduced in seven municipalities of Northern Jutland to prevent the mutation from spreading, which could compromise national or international responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. By 5 November 2020, some 214 mink-related human cases had been detected.


title: Variants of SARS-CoV-2

text: The WHO stated that cluster 5 had a "moderately decreased sensitivity to neutralising antibodies". SSI warned that the mutation could reduce the effect of COVID-19 vaccines under development, although it was unlikely to render them useless. Following the lockdown and mass-testing, SSI announced on 19 November 2020 that cluster 5 in all probability had become extinct. As of 1 February 2021, authors to a peer-reviewed paper, all of whom were from the SSI, assessed that cluster 5 was not in circulation in the human population.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Bro Daddy (stylized as BRO DADᗡY) is a 2022 Indian Malayalam-language comedy-drama film directed by Prithviraj Sukumaran and produced by Antony Perumbavoor through Aashirvad Cinemas, with a screenplay by Sreejith N. and Bibin Maliekal. The film stars Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran alongside Lalu Alex, Unni Mukundan, Meena, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Kaniha, Jagadish, Mallika Sukumaran and Soubin Shahir in supporting roles. The songs and background score for the film were composed by Deepak Dev.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Principal photography began on 15 July 2021 in Hyderabad, Telangana. Filming lasted 44 days, concluding on 6 September 2021. "Bro Daddy" released on Disney+ Hotstar on 26 January 2022.


title: Bro Daddy

text: The plot focuses on two affluent Christian families in Kerala: John Kattadi is the owner of Kattadi TMT Steel bars, the business, which he inherited from his late father Chacko Kattadi who was a rich and successful businessman and who also was the founder of this steel company. His wife Annamma is a homemaker and son Eesho is a sought-after creative director at a leading advertising company in Bangalore. John's childhood friend Kurian Maliekkal is a self-made man who grew from humble beginnings and runs an advertisement company. He has a wife Elsy who is also a homemaker and a daughter Anna, who works at an IT company in Bangalore.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Kurian had a history with Annamma, when he proposed to her, her father despised him for being a ""nouveau riche"" and made him run by unleashing their dog. He reminisces about this unrequited love and names his daughter after her. Nevertheless, the Kattadi and Maliekkal families are now family friends and share a good bond. Though both John's and Kurian's families are settled in Kochi city, their roots are in Kottayam. The families meet at the wedding reception of their mutual friend Dr. Samuel's daughter. Samuel's son-in-law Dr. Cyril plans to establish a maternity hospital network across India. Kurian hopes to grab its advertising campaign and presses Samuel.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Eesho and Anna are seeing each other's family after a long time. Kurian offers his company's creative director's post to Eesho, but Eesho rejects it. However, Elsy and Annamma is impressed by each other's kids, they think two of them would make a match. Annamma proposes this to John and Eesho, but Eesho rejects it as Anna and his mother has the same name and when he calls it both will respond and it will make confusion, to which John laughs. Elsy's proposal is also declined by Kurian and Anna. Eesho and Anna returns to Bangalore, where it is revealed that Eesho and Anna are leading a live-in relationship and it has been going on for four years. As Eesho and Anna are enjoying their moments and at the same time John and Annamma are also enjoying a happy moment. But, things take a turn when Anna gets pregnant unplanned.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Eesho initially enquires about abortion procedures but since Anna is against it, they finally decide to keep it. Now they are in a dilemma on informing their parents. Suddenly, Eesho is called by John to reach Kerala at once. At home, he was awaited by the news of his mother's pregnancy, which baffles Eesho. He pushes them for abortion, but they decide to keep it. Eesho tells Anna this. She tells Eesho to tell about her pregnancy to his parents, as Eesho committed the same mistake as John and there won't be any shocks in this case. John also tasks Eesho with informing this to his surviving mother and Eesho's grandmother.


title: Bro Daddy

text: John and his family arrive at his ancestral home at Kottayam for attending the baptism of his younger brother's baby. Kurian and Elsy also arrive there as invitees, to the shock of Eesho, who was planning to reveal everything to John and was not expecting Kurian there. Anna advises Eesho to talk to her father affectionately and break the ice between them. But the plan fails when, Eesho accidentally spills "achār" on Kurian's clothes, much to the anger of Kurian. Meanwhile, John's mother figures out that Annamma is pregnant and welcomes them. After multiple failed attempts, Eesho confronts John and discloses the matter, which really shocks John and Annamma. John devises a plan to sort things out without revealing anything to Kurian and Elsy. He promises Anna that they will ask her father her hand in marriage.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Kurian wants to marry her off to someone in advertising field as he fears his company has no heir since Anna is not into his business and his only hope is through a son-in-law. Kurian, who do not like Eesho, agrees for the alliance as Anna has agreed to it. Beside, unbeknownst to Eesho, John promises Kurian that Eesho will be his successor. Meanwhile, Samuel informs Kurian that Cyril has agreed to collaborate with Kurian's company if he can present an impressive ad concept. Elsy figures out that Anna is pregnant and pushes for an early wedding date. Meanwhile, Kurian finds out through his friend Jameskutty that Eesho was in a live-in relationship and his pregnant partner was packed off by John. He didn't realise that the girl who was pregnant is Anna. Shocked and enraged, Kurien breaks his friendship with John. When he finds that Anna had gone to meet Eesho, and he goes with Elsy to catch them.


title: Bro Daddy

text: John and Annamma arrives to tell Eesho and Anna that Kurian misunderstood them and John tries many attempts to reveal the truth, but Kurian didn't allow him to say. When the drunk Eesho pokes fun at Kurian for showing off a silly matter, Kurian slaps Eesho and in the scuffle, Anna reveals that it is herself who is pregnant with Eesho's child. At the same time, Elsy, Annamma and John say that they knew the truth and feared how to disclose it. Heartbroken and tricked by his own family, Kurian leaves, but gradually copes up with reality and pardons Anna for tricking him. Eesho presents a catchy ad concept to Kurian, which Cyril approves. The wedding takes place in a grand ceremony with everyone's approval. During the wedding ceremony, Kurian reveals to everyone that he is going to be a grandfather and John also reveals that he is not only going to be a grandfather, but a father of one more child as well. Months later, in front of a labour room, a nurse calls for Anna's husband, to which both John and Eesho respond and stare at each other.


title: Bro Daddy

text: "Empuraan" was supposed to be Prithviraj Sukumaran's second directorial, sequel to his debut film "Lucifer" (2019). On 16 June 2021, Prithviraj revealed via Instagram that he liked a storyline written by his daughter Alankrita which he likes to direct, but put aside for another screenplay that he heard which can be made a film amid the COVID-19 restrictions. Two days later (on 18 June), "Bro Daddy" was announced as his second directorial, again with Mohanlal in the title role and produced by Antony Perumbavoor for Aashirvad Cinemas, which will also have himself in an equally important role. He described the film as a "fun family drama", written by Sreejith N. and Bibin Maliekal.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Prithviraj said that the kind of films produced during the pandemic period prompted him to take "Bro Daddy", the pandemic forced filmmakers to make "contained films" that can be made within pandemic restrictions, "we are badly missing a happy film in Malayalam cinema over the past one and half year. All of the content we see in Kerala is dark. It's either a murder mystery or a dark satire or an investigative thriller", it was when he was thinking about this Sreejith and Maliekal approached him with the screenplay of "Bro Daddy", "I found it to be interesting, hilarious and more than anything, I believe it will be a really enjoyable, light watch". He then narrated it to Mohanlal, who immediately agreed. The screenplay was bought by Prithviraj Productions.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Beside Mohanlal and Prithviraj, the rest of the cast billed in the title poster during the film's announcement were Kalyani Priyadarshan, Meena, Lalu Alex, Murali Gopy, Kaniha, and Soubin Shahir. Prithviraj called Unni Mukundan for the film while they were working on "Bhramam". He also called Jagadish his other co-actor in "Bhramam" for a humorous role. "Bro Daddy" marks the Malayalam debut of Kannada actress Kavya Shetty and Tamil actor Charle. Prithviraj's mother Mallika Sukumaran was cast in the film as Mohanlal's mother.


title: Bro Daddy

text: "Bro Daddy" was scheduled to begin production only after Aashirvad Cinemas completes production of "12th Man" which was supposed to begin on 5 July 2021, but held back after failing to obtain permission from the state government due to the restrictions pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, they decided to move ahead with "Bro Daddy". However, "Bro Daddy" was denied permission to shoot in Kerala, which was originally planned to shoot entirely in the state, hence they had to move out of Kerala, which increased cost of production. Location scouting was complete by early July. Principal photography began on 15 July 2021 in Hyderabad, Telangana. First day of shoot took place at an IT Park, with scenes featuring Prithviraj and Kalyani. A total of 52-day shoot was charted for the film in Telangana. Mohanlal joined on 20 July. Since government granted permission to shoot films in Kerala from 18 July. It was shifted to Kerala after two more weeks of filming in Hyderabad. Filming was completed on 6 September 2021. It lasted 44 days. Cinematography was handled by Abinandhan Ramanujam.


title: Bro Daddy

text: The film's songs and background score were composed by Deepak Dev. "Bro Daddy", the soundtrack album, marks the launch of Aashirvad Cinemas' record label. The album contains four songs. The first single "Parayathe Vannen" was released online on 13 January 2022, sung by M. G. Sreekumar (for Mohanlal's portion) and Vineeth Sreenivasan (for Prithviraj's portion), with lyrics by Lakshmi Shrikumar. Vineeth recorded the song in August 2021. Sreekumar was not initially part of the song, but as a regular in Mohanlal films, he was chosen for his voice recognition. It was the first song composed for the film and its elements was also used in various sequences in the film and in trailer. The song features the romance between John and Annamma and also shows sequences of Eesho and Anna.


title: Bro Daddy

text: The song "Vannu Pokum" sung by Mohanlal and Prithviraj was released online on 20 January and shows snippets from their recording session. The original visuals of the song, placed in the opening credits, shows a comic strip video featuring a couple getting married at a young age and their newborn son. It was sketched by comic artist Bhaghya Babu. Dev proposed the idea to structure the song like a conversation between a father and son. He initially thought of bringing Yesudas and Vijay Yesudas to sing, but after composing, he felt that as a conversation it is best to hear it from the characters' voice. Mohanlal and Prithviraj recorded the song on 7 December 2021 at Dev's Wonderland, the recording studio of Dev at Kochi. It was recorded within two hours.


title: Bro Daddy

text: On 29 December 2021, it was confirmed that the film would be releasing directly on the OTT service Disney+ Hotstar on 26 January 2022.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Janani K. of "India Today" rated 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote that the film is "a delicious family drama with a lot of underlying messages. With excellent performances from an ensemble cast, the film is a rollicking comedy that can be enjoyed with your family ... Mohanlal is a hoot in this film. His minute expressions and his comic timing are impeccable. Prithviraj, as his son, too delivered a kickass performance ... Prithviraj Sukumaran has treated the story of "Bro Daddy" with the utmost care". In comparison, she said that "Bro Daddy" is "not "Badhaai Ho", but better". "OnManorama" also rated 3.5 out of 5 and wrote: "The storyline, which trails a simple and flawless plot, carves a smooth course to keep you thoroughly. engrossed. The dexterously crafted sequences, the coherent scenes and artfully realistic dialogues suggest how well the script has been churned out". Mohanlal "effortlessly juggles with expressions and handles situations in style ... the movie showcases the vibrancy and comic timings of vintage Mohanlal", while Prithviraj "displays an exceptional poise in comic timing" and Lalu Alex is "at his zealous", and also praised the rest of the cast.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Baradwaj Rangan writing for "Film Companion" said: ""Bro Daddy" is a sweet, silly, likeable, well-written comedy with lots of laughs. Things are woven very organically into the script and Prithviraj shines as a director ... It works because of the script. It works because of the way it’s been handled and because the cast works wonderfully. Mohanlal and Prithviraj share an amazing chemistry". Arjun Menon of "Pinkvilla" rated 3.5 out of 5 and stated that the film is "a superior product of the post lockdown phenomena of the spatially contained covid quickies, shot on a smaller budget with a fewer cast and never feels tampered down by the restrictions. The movie is in some way a litmus test just to see how much of the older sensibilities of the fun, jolly, escapist dramas works out for the content savvy millennials". Mohanlal "just oozes vitality and charm" whose "wide-eyed glances, naughty interludes that play out in full throttle coupled with the effortless body acting, orchestrated with flamboyant candour by a fanboy turned filmmaker, who knows how to show his icon on the screen". Anand Kochukudy of "The Quint" also rated 3.5 out of 5 and called it "a breezy, light-hearted comedy that ticks most of the boxes" and Mohanlal's role has "ample scope to tickle the funny bone of the audience". Even though, "there isn't much novelty to "Bro Daddy" but it still works as a fun and entertaining watch for a wide audience". He praised the acting of Mohanlal, Prithviraj, Lalu Alex and others, and the background score, but opined that the duration could have been trimmed.


title: Bro Daddy

text: Deepa Soman of "The Times of India" rated 3 out of 5 and ""Bro Daddy" keeps one interested in the proceedings right from the beginning. Prithviraj and Mohanlal offer some interesting moments of the equations between a son and dad, who don’t have much age gap between them. Lalu Alex has also tried to tickle our funny bones at various stretches in the film, in which Kalyani Priyadarshan’s characterisation, too, is refreshing. Deepak Dev’s music suits the mood of the movie quite well", but criticized the duration. Haricharan Pudipeddi of "Hindustan Times" wrote: "The film works to a large extent because it treats the subject in a light-hearted manner and it's the comical moments that help the film stay mostly entertaining". But he said the later half "meanders to some extent" but compensated by the performances, "Mohanlal charms his way through the movie with effortless performance. He nails those minute expressions with ease which make his character stand out. Prithviraj is equally good".


title: Bro Daddy

text: After the success of "Bro Daddy", producer D. Suresh Babu talked with the makers for acquiring the Telugu remake right of the film, which he plans with Venkatesh Daggubati and his nephew Rana Daggubati starring.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: Ronald Federico Araújo da Silva (born 7 March 1999) is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona and the Uruguay national team.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: Born to a Uruguayan father and a Brazilian mother in Rivera, a city near the Brazil border, Araújo joined Rentistas from hometown club Huracán de Rivera. He made his senior debut with the former on 24 September 2016, coming on as a late substitute in a 1–0 Segunda División away win against Tacuarembó.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: Araújo scored his first senior goal on 9 December 2016, netting the equaliser in a 2–2 home draw against Central Español. He became a regular starter during the 2017 season, and scored a hat-trick in a 3–2 away win over Villa Española on 17 June of that year.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: On 28 July 2017, Araújo joined Primera División side Boston River. He made his debut in the category on 18 September, replacing Maximiliano Sigales late into a 1–0 home success over El Tanque Sisley.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: On 29 August 2018, Araújo signed a five-year contract with FC Barcelona for a fee of €1.7 million, plus €3.5 million in variables; he was initially assigned to the reserves in Segunda División B. He made his first team – and La Liga – debut on 6 October of the following year, coming off the bench to replace Jean-Clair Todibo in the 73rd minute of a 4–0 home win against Sevilla; however, he was sent off in the 86th minute for tackling Javier Hernández.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: For the 2020–21 season, Araújo was promoted to the main squad, being handed the number 4 jersey, which was previously worn by Ivan Rakitić. On 19 December 2020, he scored his first La Liga goal for Barcelona in a 2–2 home draw against Valencia.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: On 20 March 2022, Araújo scored his first goal in El Clásico, heading in a corner from Ousmane Dembélé in a 4–0 away victory against the league leaders at Santiago Bernabéu.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: After representing Uruguay at under-18 and under-20 levels, Araújo received his first call up for the senior side on 5 October 2020, for two 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Ecuador. He made his full international debut eight days later, starting in a 2–4 loss against the latter.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: In June 2021, Araújo was included in the final 26-man Uruguay squad for the 2021 Copa América in Brazil, but he didn't feature in any of Uruguay's five games in the tournament while also suffering a muscle injury.


title: Ronald Araújo

text: Despite nursing an injury, Araújo was included in the Uruguay squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, having expected recovery during knockout phase. He didn't made an appearance as Uruguay were eliminated in the group stage.


title: Azov Regiment

text: The Special Operations Detachment "Azov" (), also known as the Azov Regiment () and formerly the Azov Battalion (), is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine formerly based in Mariupol, in the coastal region of the Sea of Azov, from which it derives its name. The unit was founded in May 2014 as a volunteer paramilitary militia under the command of Andriy Biletsky to fight pro-Russian forces in the Donbas War, and was formally incorporated into the National Guard on 11 November 2014.


title: Azov Regiment

text: The group has drawn controversy over its early and allegedly continuing association with far-right groups and neo-Nazi ideology, its use of controversial symbols linked to Nazism, and early allegations that members of the group participated in torture and war crimes. Some experts are critical of the regiment's role within the larger Azov Movement, a political umbrella group made up of veterans and organizations linked to Azov, and its possible far-right political ambitions, despite claims of the regiment's depoliticization. Others argue that the regiment has evolved beyond its origins as street militia, tempering its neo-Nazi and far-right underpinnings as it became part of the National Guard. Since 2014, criticism of the Azov Regiment has been a recurring theme of Russian propaganda, and the unit has been designated a terrorist group by Russia since August 2022.


title: Azov Regiment

text: The regiment's size was estimated to be around 900 to 2,500 combatants in 2017–2022. Most of the unit's members are Russian speakers and come from the Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine. It also includes members from other countries. In the wake of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the regiment gained renewed attention, as one of the reasons given by Russian president Vladimir Putin for the invasion was the "denazification" of Ukraine, to remove the alleged control of the country by far-right forces such as Azov. During the Siege of Mariupol the regiment played a prominent role in the city's defense, and made its final stand at the Azovstal steel plant. Ending the siege a significant amount of regiment's fighters, including the regiment's commander since 2017, Denys Prokopenko, surrendered to Russian forces on orders from the Ukrainian high command.


title: Azov Regiment

text: According to anti-fascist researcher Vyacheslav Likhachev, Azov had many roots. For example, Jewish activist Nathan Khazin has described forming a group of around 26 activists in the Automaidan movement in 2013 who he said formed the backbone of Azov, while other sources emphasise the presence of former Patriot of Ukraine activists.


title: Azov Regiment

text: According to Katerina Sergatskova in Hromadske, parts of the Azov Regiment had its roots in a group of ultras of FC Metalist Kharkiv named "Sect 82" (1982 is the year of the founding of the group) accused of Nazi leanings. In late February 2014, during the 2014 Ukrainian crisis when a separatist movement was active in Kharkiv, Sect 82 occupied the Kharkiv Oblast regional administration building in Kharkiv and served as a local "self-defense force." Soon after, a company of the Special Tasks Patrol Police called "Eastern Corps" was formed on the basis of Sect 82, which would join Azov in 2015.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On February 2014, Andriy Biletsky, a far-right political activist, founder and leader of the ultranationalist organization Patriot of Ukraine and the related Social-National Assembly (SNA), who had been previously arrested in 2011 accused of robbery and assault, although his case had never reached the courts, was released from prison after the new government considered him a political prisoner of the former Yanukovytch government. After returning to Kharkiv, he rallied some activists from Patriot of Ukraine, SNA, the AutoMaidan movement and some ultras groups, and formed a small militia to help local security forces against the local pro-Russian movement in the city. Biletsky's militia, and later the Battalion, was known as the "Black Corps" (), and nicknamed by the Ukrainian media as the "Men in Black" or "Little Black Men", touted as Ukraine's version of Russia's Little Green Men due their secrecy and mystery, as well their use of all-black fatigues and masks in Kharkiv and later in Mariupol. During March 2014, as the unrest in Kharkiv worsened, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Militsiya pulled out from the city, the "Black Corps" started to patrol the streets, helped to protect pro-Ukrainian activists in Kharkiv and attacked pro-Russian ones. On 14 March, members of pro-Russian militant organization "Oplot" (which would later become a separatist military battalion, and the head of the Donetsk branch, Alexander Zakharchenko, would become Head of the Donetsk People's Republic) and of the Anti-Maidan movement, attempted to raid the local Patriot of Ukraine headquarters. The Black Corps retaliated with automatic weapons, and the situation escalated into a firefight between the two groups. Leaving to two dead in the pro-Russian side. At that time, the "Black Corps" had around 60 to 70 members and they were mostly lightly armed.


title: Azov Regiment

text: By April, during the initial phases of the War in Donbas, the Ukrainian Armed Forces suffered a number of defeats and setbacks against the separatists, as they were ill-prepared, ill-equipped, lacking in professionalism, morale, fighting spirit and with severe incompetence in the high command. As a reaction, many willing civilians created militias and paramilitary groups to fight the separatists on their own initiative, known as the "volunteer battalions".


title: Azov Regiment

text: As the situation in the Donbas deteriorated, on 13 April 2014, Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov issued a decree authorizing the creation of new paramilitary forces of up to 12,000 people. The former Black Corps was initially based in Kharkiv, where they were tasked with defending the city against a possible pro-Russian uprising, but as the situation in the city subsided and calmed down, they were deployed to Eastern Ukraine to help in the war effort. They were then sanctioned by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry as a unit of "Special Tasks Patrol Police" and became officially known as the "Azov" Battalion, which was officially formed on 5 May 2014 in Berdiansk.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Initially, the group was mostly funded independently of the state, with a primary financier, Jewish-Ukrainian billionaire and oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi. When Azov deputy commander Ihor Mosiychuk made Jew-baiting comments about Kolomoisky, he was removed. Among other early patrons of the battalion were Oleh Lyashko, a member of the Verkhovna Rada, ultra-nationalist Dmytro Korchynsky, businessman Serhiy Taruta, and Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov. The battalion received training near Kyiv by instructors with experience in the Georgian Armed Forces.


title: Azov Regiment

text: The battalion had its baptism by fire in Mariupol in May 2014, where it was involved in combat during the First Battle of Mariupol as part of the counter-offensive to recapture the city from separatists of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). On 13 June, together with fellow Special Tasks Patrol Police battalion Dnipro-1, they retook key buildings and strongholds occupied by separatists, killing at least 5 separatists and destroying one enemy BRDM-2 armoured vehicle and one armored truck during battle. After the Battle, Azov remained as a garrison in Mariupol for a time, where they were tasked of patrolling the region around the Sea of Azov to prevent arms trafficking from Russia into separatist hands, and was briefly relocated to Berdiansk. On 10 June, the battalion dismissed deputy commander Yaroslav Honchar and distanced themselves from him after he made statements critical of looting and debauchery in the Azov battalion. Igor Mosiychuk became deputy commander.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 10–11 August 2014 the Azov Battalion, together with the Shakhtarsk Battalion, Dnipro-1 Battalion and the Ukrainian Army, supported an assault on the city of Ilovaisk spearheaded by the Donbas Battalion. The performance of Azov was criticized by fellow members of the Donbas Battalion and by a later report by the commission of the Verkhovna Rada on the failures of the Battle of Ilovaisk, which criticized Azov of arriving undermanned and late to the battle, and failing to cover the flanks of other forces. During the initial assault, Azov suffered heavy losses. The Azov Battalion helped to clear the city of separatists and reinforce Ukrainian positions. However, in late August they were redeployed to garrison Mariupol, as a detachment of troops from the Russian Armed Forces was spotted moving into Novoazovsk, 45 km of Mariupol. Later, the separatists forces in Ilovaisk were reinforced by troops from the Russian Armed Forces, which encircled the Ukrainian forces in the city and defeated them. The commander of the Donbas Battalion, Semen Semenchenko, later accused the Ukrainian military and government of deliberately abandoning them for political reasons, citing the withdrawing of Azov and Shakhtarsk battalions as trying to start infighting between the volunteer battalions.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In the Battle of Novoazovsk from 25 to 28 August 2014 the Azov Battalion and Ukrainian forces did not fare much better, as they were pushed back by superior firepower of the tanks and armored vehicles of the separatists and Russians.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 11 August 2014 another detachment of the Azov Battalion, backed by Ukrainian paratroopers, captured Marinka from pro-Russian rebels and entered the suburbs of Donetsk, clashing with Donetsk People's Republic fighters.


title: Azov Regiment

text: With Novoazovsk captured, the separatists began preparing a second offensive against Mariupol. In early September 2014, the Azov Battalion was engaged in the Second Battle of Mariupol. As the separatist forces closed in on the city, the Azov Battalion were in the vanguard of the defense, providing reconnaissance around the villages of Shyrokyne and Bezimenne, located a few kilometers east of Mariupol. At the same time, Azov started to train Mariupol citizens in self-defense and organize popular militias to defend the city. The separatists were able to push far into Mariupol, reaching the outer suburbs and coming within five kilometers of the city. But an overnight counter-offensive on 4 September launched by Azov and the Armed Forces pushed the DPR forces away from the city.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Regarding the ceasefire agreed on 5 September, Azov commander Andriy Biletsky stated: "If it was a tactical move there is nothing wrong with it […] if it's an attempt to reach an agreement concerning Ukrainian soil with separatists then obviously it's a betrayal." At this time, Azov had 500 members.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In September 2014, the Azov Battalion underwent a reorganisation, and was upgraded from a battalion to a regiment, and in 11 November, the regiment was officially enrolled into the National Guard of Ukraine. This was part of larger policy changes by the Ukrainian government of integrating the independent volunteer battalions under either the Ukrainian Ground Forces or the National Guard into the formal chain-of-command of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO). The now-Azov Regiment was designated as "Military Unit 3057" and officially named the "Azov" Special Operations Detachment".


title: Azov Regiment

text: Following its official enrollment in the National Guard, Azov received official funding from the Ukrainian Interior Ministry and other sources (believed to be Ukrainian oligarchs). Around this time Azov started receiving increased supplies of heavy arms. The founder of Azov, Andriy Biletsky left the battalion in October 2014 and his influence dissipated afterwards.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 14 October 2014, Azov servicemen took part in a march to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in Kyiv organized by the Right Sector. And on 31 October 2014, deputy commander of the Azov Battalion Vadym Troyan was appointed head of Kyiv Oblast (province) police (this police force has no jurisdiction over the city of Kyiv).


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 24 January 2015, Mariupol came under an indiscriminate rocket bombing by separatists, which left 31 dead and 108 injured. In 28 January, two Azov members were killed in a shelling of a checkpoint in the eastern part of Mariupol. Both attacks were conducted from an area near the village of Shyrokyne, 11 km east of Mariupol, where there was significant movement of separatist troops in the region, stoking fears of a third offensive against Mariupol.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In February 2015, the Azov Regiment responded by spearheading a surprise offensive against the separatists in Shyrokyne. The objective was to create a buffer zone to prevent more bombings of Mariupol and push the separatists forces back into Novoazovsk. The attack by the Azov Regiment was reinforced by the Ukrainian Army, and Air Assault Forces, as well the Donbas Battalion of the National Guard and the independent volunteer battalions Ukrainian Volunteer Corps and the Chechen Muslim Sheikh Mansur Battalion.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In February 2015, after breaking through Donetsk People's Republic lines, the Azov Regiment managed to quickly capture the towns of Shyrokyne, Pavlopil, and Kominternove, and began to advance toward Novoazovsk. The Ukrainian forces were stopped in the town of Sakhanka, where the separatists held the line by using heavy artillery and armored vehicles. By 12 February 2015 the separatists launched an all-out counter-offensive which resulted in heavy losses for Azov. Azov and the rest of the Ukrainian forces retreated from Sakhanka into Shyrokyne. On 12 February 2015, the Minsk II ceasefire was signed by both parties of the conflict, and the territory around Shyrokyne was declared to be part of a proposed demilitarized buffer zone. However, the DPR rebels did not consider combat in the village itself as part of the ceasefire, while Biletsky saw the ceasefire as "appeasing the aggressor". The following weeks saw fighting continuing between Azov and the separatists, worrying some analysts that it could jeopardize the Minsk II agreement. The situation in Shyrokyne became a stalemate: both sides reinforced their positions and built trenches. In the following weeks, Azov and the DRP forces exchanged fire and artillery bombings with a back-and-forth on the control of the frontlines and villages. The village of Shyrokyne was almost completely destroyed as a result.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 1 July 2015, the separatists withdrew from the Shyrokyne. Separatist leader Denis Pushilin declared they were pulling back as an "act of good will" to conform to the Minsk II agreements. However, Biletsky claimed the action was a result of the separatists suffering heavy casualties and not being able to sustain their operation.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 29 July 2015 the Azov Regiment and the Donbas Battalion fighters in Shyrokyne were rotated out of the front and replaced with a unit of the Ukrainian Marines. The decision to pull them out from the village was met with protests from residents of nearby Mariupol, who feared that the withdrawal would lead to Russian separatists quickly retaking the village and shelling the city again.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In August 2015, the Ukrainian government pulled all volunteer battalions, including Azov, off the front lines around Mariupol, replacing them with regular military units. The primary base of the battalion became a seaside villa in Urzuf, a village in Donetsk Oblast.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 1 October 2015, the Azov Civil Corps joined the Blockade of Crimea. The action was started by the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People in 20 September as a massive Traffic obstruction of transport traffic going into Russian Crimea to protest the Russian annexation of Crimea. The Tartars were soon joined by other anti-Russian activist groups, such as the Azov Civil Corps. The Azov Regiment and the Right Sector's Ukrainian Volunteer Corps paramilitaries helped provide security for the activists.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 27 April 2016, 300 troops and light-armored vehicles from the regiment were assigned to Odessa to safeguard public order after Oblast Governor Mikheil Saakashvili wrote in social media about a rash of pro-Russian "titushki" attacks on civilians. In 2017, the size of the regiment was estimated at more than 2,500 members.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In 2019 the Azov Regiment spent eight months on the frontline at Svitlodarsk arc, following more than three years of being withdrawn from the frontline.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In June 2019, to commemorate the five years anniversary of Ukrainian victory in the Battle of Mariupol, there was a military parade composed by members of the Azov Regiment, National Guard of Ukraine, National Police of Ukraine and State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.


title: Azov Regiment

text: The Azov Regiment regained attention during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Before the conflict, Azov was the subject of a propaganda war: Russia used the regiment's official incorporation into the National Guard of Ukraine as one of the proofs for its portrait of the Ukrainian government and military as under Nazi control, with "denazification" as a key "casus belli". The regiment, on the other hand, was noted for its ability to self-promote, producing high quality videos of its drone strikes and other military activities; "The Daily Telegraph" called it a "well-oiled publicity machine". Others have noted how their participation in the war and defense of Mariupol have increased national and international notoriety and popularity of the group. The regiment's destruction has been among Moscow's war objectives.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In March France 24 described the Azov Regiment as "at the heart of the propaganda war" between Russia and Ukraine. France 24 reported that Azov posted victory claims on Telegram that are "often accompanied by videos of burning Russian tanks" and called the Russians "the real fascists". Vyacheslav Likhachev, an analyst at the ZMINA Center for Human Rights in Kyiv, stated that during the war, Azov operates in the same way as other regiments, “but with better PR”.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Most of the Azov Regiment was stationed in Mariupol at the beginning of the invasion. In March 2022, Deutsche Welle reported that the regiment was the primary unit defending Mariupol in the Siege of Mariupol. As the battle raged, Azov became notable for its fierce defense of the city. For example, PBS called it "a seasoned volunteer force that is widely considered one of the country’s most capable units". On 19 March 2022, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded a Hero of Ukraine title to Azov's commander in Mariupol, Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 9 March Russia carried out an airstrike on a maternity hospital, killing multiple civilians, and justified the bombing by the alleged presence of Azov troops in the building; similarly, on 16 March, the Mariupol theatre, which was holding civilians, was bombed, Russia accused Azov of having perpetrated it, trying to frame Russia for it. As civilians fled the city, Russian checkpoints stopped men and stripped them, looking for tattoos identifying them as Azov. Refugees in "filtration centers" were interrogated if they had any affiliation with Azov or knew someone in the regiment. On 22 March, Azov's military headquarters in the northern Kalmiuskyi District were captured by Russian and DPR soldiers, although it was already abandoned.


title: Azov Regiment

text: By early April, Azov Regiment, together with other local Ukrainian forces, started to retreat into the Azovstal iron and steel works, a massive Soviet-era steel mill built to resist military attacks and bombing. The unit became prominently associated with Azovstal; its founder Andriy Biletskiy called the industrial complex "the fortress of the Azov". On 11 April 2022, the regiment accused Russian forces of using “a poisonous substance of unknown origin” in Mariupol. The allegations, however, have not been confirmed by independent fact-checkers and organizations. Later in April, remaining pockets of Ukrainian resistance inside the city, consisting of Ukrainian Marines 36th Brigade, non-Azov National Guard, and the sea port detachments of National Police and Border Guards, conducted operations to breakthrough into Azovstal, while members of Azov conducted support and rescue operations to assist them.


title: Azov Regiment

text: By 21 April, most Ukrainians forces in Mariupol were based in Azovstal. In 21 April, Vladimir Putin officially stated that Mariupol was "liberated" and placed an order for his forces to not storm of the complex, but instead blockade it. Nonetheless, the following days saw bombing and shelling of Azovstal. There were also civilians sheltering in the complex.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 3 May, the Russian forces in Mariupol restarted their attacks on Azovstal. The following day it was reported that the Russians had broken into the plant.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In early May 2022 protests took place in Kyiv, organised by the families of Azov troops, Ukrainian marines and other soldiers. Kateryna Prokopenko, the wife of Denys Prokopenko, the lead Azov commander, took a major role in these demonstrations, which were broken up by police. These protests accused the Ukrainian government and the international community of failing to do enough to assist wounded soldiers currently in the Azovstal steelworks. In a statement made to the press on 8 May 2022 from the steelworks, leading figures within the regiment stated that they would not surrender. They criticised the Ukrainian government for negotiating with Russia, as well as countries who refused to supply Azov with weapons in previous years. In this news conference, Svyatoslav Palamar, second in command at Mariupol, accused Ukrainian politicians of cynicism for failing to visit Azovstal. He stated that the regiment could not be 100% sure all civilians had been evacuated due to lack of equipment and the fact they had not been assisted by specialist organisations. Palamar said that during the evacuation of civilians, 3 Azov soldiers had been killed and one wounded, and said that criticisms made towards the troops about the speed of the evacuation were 'extremely painful'. A Azovstal factory worker who had stayed in a bunker under the factory for two months before her evacuation told Deutsche Welle that, contrary to Russian media reports, they were not forced by soldiers in Azovstal to stay against their will, however, it became increasingly unsafe to leave due to constant bombardment.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 10 May 2022, the Azov Regiment posted images on its Telegram page of what it said were its wounded soldiers in the bunkers of Azovstal. These images showed severe shrapnel injuries and in some cases amputated limbs which the soldiers were unable to treat properly. They called for an immediate evacuation where these soldiers could be provided with medical assistance. In an interview with the "Kyiv Post", a soldier with the Azov Regiment repeated this call, alleging that he had been tortured and witnessed killings by Russian separatists when he had been captured in a previous war.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 17 May 2022, negotiations, which included mediators from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), managed to end the siege of Azovstal and establish a humanitarian corridor. On 16 May, the Ukrainian General staff announced that the Mariupol garrison, including remnants of the Azov regiment stationed in Mariupol, had "fulfilled its combat mission" and that evacuations from the Azovstal steel factory had begun. Following orders from the high command, over the next few days Azov members in Azovstal, including the regiment's commander Denys Prokopenko, surrendered to Russian forces among ~2.5k Ukrainian soldiers from the plant, and were taken to the Russian-controlled territory of Donetsk People's Republic. The ICRC registered the surrendered troops as prisoners of war at the request of both sides, collecting information to contact their families. Ukrainian and Russian sources make contradicting statements on the future of surrendered combatants, from pre-arranged exchange to Russian POWs with support of international humanitarian organizations, to criminal prosecution in Russia on war crime and terrorism charges. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, according to Azov chief of staff on 18 May, Ukraine had proposed a prisoner swap of the most severely wounded prisoners, but Russia had countered "everyone or noone".


title: Azov Regiment

text: Russia press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had guaranteed that the fighters who surrendered would be treated "in accordance with international standards" while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an address that "the work of bringing the boys home continues, and this work needs delicacy – and time". Prominent Russian lawmakers, Anatoly Wasserman and Vyacheslav Volodin, called on the government to deny prisoner exchanges for members of the Azov Regiment, and try them in Russia as "nazist war criminals" instead. Leonid Slutsky suggested to lift the moratorium on death sentences in Russia to allow execution of surrendered Azov fighters. According to international human rights law professor Christina Binder at the Bundeswehr University Munich, despite Russia leaving the Council of Europe in March 2022, its provisions are effective for an additional 6 months. This leaves open the potential for a case at European Court of Human Rights in the case of torture and execution of fighters from the Azov Battalion until September 2022.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Amnesty International USA issued a statement saying that "Ukraine’s soldiers deployed in Mariupol area have been dehumanized by Russian media and portrayed in Putin’s propaganda as ‘neo-Nazis’ throughout Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. This characterization raises serious concerns over their fate as prisoners of war", while calling for Russia to fully respect the Geneva conventions.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 24 May 2022, "The Guardian" reported that the regiment's commander Denys Prokopenko was able to briefly call his wife from the captivity, and according to him surrendered Azov fighters are being held in "satisfactory" conditions, with injured combatants held in a prison in Olenivka, and a small number of severely injured fighters held in a hospital of Novoazovsk. Presumably, none of the surrendered fighters had been taken to Russia so far.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Also on 30 May 2022, a group of family members announced the creation of a "Council of Wives and Mothers" to help ensure the surrendered soldiers are treated according to the Geneva Conventions. They noted that most of the relatives have no idea what is going on with the captured fighters, and there is no evidence of activity by the Red Cross.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 5 June 2022, Kateryna Prokopenko told "Ukrayinska Pravda" that as far as she understands, international humanitarian groups such as the Red Cross were only with the surrendered soldiers during the beginning of their captivity, however, that is not true anymore. She suggested that the Russian side is restricting access to the soldiers by the Red Cross. In mid June, the lack of monitoring has continued, a provision of the surrender agreement. The Red Cross has been silent, but their fate has been brought up during a phone call by Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz and Vladimir Putin, when the western leaders called for a prisoner swap.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 7 June 2022, Human Rights Watch and Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group separately announced that Ukrainian refugees, as well as civilians forcibly deported to Russia, were being pressured and intimidated to implicate Ukrainian military personnel in war crimes, including implicating Azov in the Mariupol theatre airstrike.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Bodies of 210 Ukrainian fighters have been transferred to Kyiv. These are being processed by Azov's "guardianship" unit.


title: Azov Regiment

text: After a Donetsk court conducted a show trial of three foreign members of the Ukrainian armed forces and sentenced them to death, there was worry that the prisoners of war from Azovstal would face similar show trials, with people associated with Azov especially vulnerable due to their depiction in Russian propaganda. Some civil society members also claim that Russia wants to destabilize Ukraine by pitting the interests of captives and the victims of Russian war crimes against each other. Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in early June that the defenders of Mariupol had become "public prisoners", and it was not in Russian interests to use violence against them, however, other Ukrainian sources claimed the DPR was preparing a trial against members of Azov in order to close the loop of its "denazification" of Ukraine narrative.


title: Azov Regiment

text: According to Yulia Fedosyuk, wife of Azov soldier Arseniy Fedosyuk, Russia will try and convict the Azovstal soldiers terrorism and war crimes against civilians most likely, to try and shift blame for crimes committed by Russia. She also said the Azov officers, including Denys Prokopenko and Svyatoslav Palamar have been moved to Lefortovo Prison in Moscow, the site of an FSB detention center, while others are in Olenivka, Kalmiuske Raion. On 30 June, it was announced that 95 Azovstal prisoners would be exchanged, along with 43 from the Azov Regiment. It was revealed that about 1,000 Azov soldiers are still prisoners of war.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 18 June 2022, Mykyta Nadtochiy was appointed as new commander of the Azov Regiment. According to "Moskovskij Komsomolets", Nadtochiy was appointed by Prokopenko as his successor during the siege of Mariupol and was later evacuated from the city by helicopter after being wounded in action.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 29 July 2022, at least 50 of the captured fighters died in the Olenivka prison explosion, claimed by the Russian side to be a missile airstrike by Ukrainian forces on the Olenivka prison in Donbass where they were kept, and claimed by the Ukrainian side to be a murder of prisoners by the Russian side, disguised as a false flag operation. The Ukrainian side asked the UN and Red Cross, which vouched for life and health of surrendered soldiers, for an immediate reaction to the incident.


title: Azov Regiment

text: On 22 September 2022, as part of a prisoner exchange, Ukraine handed Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch former People's Deputy of Ukraine and personal friend of Vladimir Putin over to Russia, along with another 55 Russian prisoners of war, in exchange for over 215 Ukrainian prisoners of war, including 188 members of the Azov Regiment. Prisoners exchanged included Azov commander Denys Prokopenko and his deputy Svyatoslav Palamar, along with three other leaders. In the swap it was agreed that the five leaders of the Azov Regiment that were released as part of the prisoner exchange will remain in Turkey until the end of the war. The swap caused controversy in Russia among hardliners and pro-war supporters, as in the past few months the Russian government had affirmed that the Azov prisoners were going to trial over crimes and would not be handed over in any prisoner exchanges, and had used Azov extensively in propaganda.


title: Azov Regiment

text: While the main bulk of the Azov Regiment was based in Mariupol, with the invasion Azov also started to organize units outside of the city, in particular in Kyiv and Kharkiv. These units were initially part of the part of the Territorial Defense Forces of Ukraine (TDF). The Azov TDF units proved themselves to be particularly effective in combat, and thus they were turned into regiments and reassigned as part of the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine (SSO), where they received special training and equipment. These units are known as the "Azov SSO", with units in Kyiv, Kharkiv and a new one in Sumy. In May 2022, "The Times" reported that a new unit of the Azov Regiment had been inaugurated in Kharkiv, bearing a new insignia of a stylized "Tryzub" formed by three golden swords.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In Dnipro, Azov organized the 98th Territorial Defence Battalion 'Azov-Dnipro' of the Territorial Defense Forces, led by First Deputy Head of National Corps and Azov veteran Rodion Kudryashov. Other Azov TDF units include the 225th and 226th Reconnaissance battalions from Kharkiv, the Azov Tank Company—part of the 127th Defense Brigade of the Kharkiv TDF—Azov-Prykarpattia formed in Ivano-Frankivsk and Azov-Poltava based in Poltava. In addition, Azov veterans and National Corps members Konstantin Nemichev and Serhiy Velychko formed the Kraken Regiment, a volunteer unit active in Kharkiv which is not part of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but answers to the Ministry of Defence. While in Volyn, Azov veterans formed the "separate special purpose unit 'Lubart'" under the TDF, a photoshoot of the unit included the flag of the Centuria Group, a far-right organization connected to Azov. Russian volunteers of Azov and other right-wing emigrants also formed their own separate unit known as the Russian Volunteer Corps.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In early April, Azov units were present at the Kyiv offensive at the Battle of Brovary, where the regiment and the Ukrainian Army's 72nd Mechanized Brigade ambushed and destroyed a Russian tank regiment advancing into the town of Brovary.


title: Azov Regiment

text: The regiment's first commander was Andriy Biletsky. Biletsky stayed out of the public spotlight working on expanding Azov to battalion size. In summer 2014, he took command of the unit. In August 2014, he was awarded the military decoration "Order For Courage" by Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Interior Ministry's police forces. After Biletsky was elected into the Ukrainian parliament in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election he left the regiment, and terminated his contract with the National Guard in 2016 (Ukrainian elected officials can not be in the military, nor the police).


title: Azov Regiment

text: A 16 July 2014 report placed the Azov Battalion's strength at 300. An earlier report stated that on 23 June almost 600 volunteers, including women, took oaths to join the "Donbas" and "Azov" battalions. The unit included 900 volunteers .


title: Azov Regiment

text: The first commander was Andriy Biletsky who led the group from the group's inception in May to October 2014 when he ran for political office in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Previous Azov commanders included Ihor Mykhailenko and . From July 2017 to May 2022, the leader was Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, who became the youngest commander in the history of the armed forces of Ukraine. In May 2022, the second in command was Captain Svyatoslav Palamar, who was captured by Russian forces and later released in a prisoner swap. On 18 June 2022, Mykyta Nadtochiy was appointed as new commander of the Azov Regiment.


title: Azov Regiment

text: The commander of the second battalion of the Azov Special Operation Forces, Kyiv regiment is Dmytro Kukharchuk.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Azov was initially formed as a volunteer militia in May 2014. In 2015, the Ukrainian government decided to turn all volunteer battalions—both the Territorial Defence Battalions associated with the armed forces, and the Special Tasks Patrol Police of the interior ministry—into regular units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the National Guard, respectively. Azov is one of the latter. The Ukrainian government also opted to deploy only volunteer units to the Donbas front, pledging that conscripts would not be sent into combat.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In January 2015, Azov Regiment was officially upgraded to a regiment and its structures took a definite shape. A mobilization center and a training facility were established in Kyiv, in the former industrial complex "ATEK" for selection and examination. The personnel, composed of volunteers from all over Ukraine, had to pass through a screening and vetting process, quite similar to army's mobilization procedures. Recruits were then assigned to the combat units of the regiments, or to support and supply units, where they undertake intensive combat drills training. Reconnaissance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units were considered the élite of Azov and were manned by the most experienced personnel (typically, former Ukrainian Army special forces or similar).


title: Azov Regiment

text: According to "The Daily Telegraph" in August 2014, the Azov Battalion's extremist politics and professional English social media pages had attracted foreign fighters, including people from Brazil, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, Greece, Sweden, Spain, Slovakia, Croatia, Czech Republic and Russia.


title: Azov Regiment

text: While the February 2015 Minsk II Ceasefire Agreement speaks of the withdrawal of foreign fighters, the agreement was never fully implemented.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Though only about 50 Russian nationals were members of the Azov regiment in April 2015, the regiment still included foreign fighters in August 2015, for example an ex-British army serviceman Chris Garrett and a 33-year-old former soldier of the Greek army and French Foreign Legion known by the "nom-de-guerre" of "The Greek". Investigative journalist Michael Colborne wrote that by 2015 the regiment had largely lost interest in recruitment of foreigners, "let alone in forming international friendships". However, he noted that the same could not be said for the broader Azov movement, especially the National Corps political party.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In late 2016, Brazilian investigators uncovered an alleged plot to recruit Brazilian far-right activists for the Azov-aligned Misanthropic Division. American white nationalists have unsuccessfully tried to join Azov. In 2016, Andrew Oneschuk, who later joined the neo-Nazi terrorist group Atomwaffen Division, joined an Azov movement podcast in 2016. Azov has cultivated ties with the Atomwaffen Division.


title: Azov Regiment

text: According to the Counter Extremism Project, the Azov Regiment made clear in 2019 that it was no longer accepting foreigners, since foreigners could only serve in the Ukrainian Army as contractors. However, during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine it once again actively recruited foreign volunteers.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In 2019, support for the group was temporarily not allowed under Facebook's Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy. In 2021, "Time" reported on the use of Facebook by the group to recruit far-right individuals from other countries, reporting instances from 2018. During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine the Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy was relaxed. In 2019, the FBI had arrested a 24-year-old American soldier for a bomb plot, who had wanted to travel to Ukraine to join the regiment. In 2020, Ukraine deported two American Atomwaffen members who wanted to join the regiment. A Ukrainian official told "Buzzfeed News" that for anyone to join the regiment, official channels had to be used.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In June 2022, Kacper Rekawek wrote in Combating Terrorism Center at West Point that "Ukrainian units with far-right histories are now deeply integrated into Ukraine’s armed forces and eschew foreign recruitment, and one of those units, the Azov Regiment, was decimated during the siege of Mariupol. Very few foreign right-wing extremists have been recruited into Ukraine’s International Legion. In fact, anecdotal evidence suggests most of the foreign fighters who have traveled this year to fight on the Ukrainian side are fighting to safeguard Ukraine’s future as a Western democracy. All this means that while Western governments should keep a watchful eye on foreign fighter flows to Ukraine, they must also counter Russian disinformation efforts that massively inflate the presence of right-wing extremists on the Ukrainian side."


title: Azov Regiment

text: Russian Azov volunteers formed their own separate unit as a response to the Russian invasion, known as the Russian Volunteer Corps.


title: Azov Regiment

text: The Azov Battalion has created its own civilian political movement, collectively known as the "Azov movement", made up of an umbrella of organizations formed by former Azov veterans or groups linked to Azov, and with roots in the ultranationalist paramilitary Patriot of Ukraine group led by Azov founder Andriy Biletsky and the associated far right Social-National Assembly.


title: Azov Regiment

text: In 2017, according to "Foreign Affairs" magazine, "After the union [with the National Guard], the government's first act was to root out two groups within Azov, foreign fighters and neo-Nazis, by vetting group members with background checks, observations during training, and a law requiring all fighters to accept Ukrainian citizenship. Fighters who did not pass this screening were offered the chance to join civilian volunteer corps to help the war effort; these corps assisted police, cleared snow (a crucial task in Ukraine), and even worked on a public radio." According to Reuters, at this time, the unit worked to depoliticize itself: its far-right leadership left and founded the National Corps political party, which works with its associated activist organization, the Azov Civil Corps. The Patriot of Ukraine websites were shut down or put under restricted access.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Some experts agree with the view that there is increasingly great separation between the Azov Movement and the Azov Battalion. Kacper Rękawek, a research fellow with the Center for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo, told CNN that, "People always assume it [the Azov regiment and Azov movement] is one Death Star. Year by year, the connections [between the regiment and the movement] are looser." Anton Shekhovtsov, an expert on Russia's connections to Europe's far-right, told the "Financial Times" that though it was originally formed by leadership of a neo-nazi group, "It is certain that Azov [the battalion] has depoliticised itself. Its history linked to the far-right movement is pretty irrelevant today."


title: Azov Regiment

text: Other experts, however, disagree with these assessments, and point to specific cases where there have been interactions between the regiment and the broader movement. Oleksiy Kuzmenko of Bellingcat in a 2020 article, noted that soldiers from the regiment appeared together with leaders of the "National Corps" political party in a 2020 video ad for a rally, and that a 2017 YouTube video appeared to show the émigré Russian neo-Nazi Alexey Levkin giving a lecture to the regiment. Both entities have admitted to being part of the wider "Azov Movement" led by Biletsky, who worked directly with Arsen Avakov (Minister of the Interior until July 2021) on matters relating to the regiment.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Similarly, Michael Colborne wrote that it "would be a mistake to claim...that the Azov regiment is somehow not a part of the broader Azov movement" and points to repeated description of the regiment as the "military wing" of the Azov movement by Olena Semenyaka, the main international representative of the movement. Colborne also stated "the Azov movement tries to be a one-stop shop for all things far right. There’s also a bevy of loosely affiliated but more extreme subgroups under its umbrella as well, including open neo-Nazis who praise and promote violence". In late 2021, prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he said the movement had become less strong since 2019, as a result of infighting and the group needing to temper most of its international outreach activity due to high-profile attention.


title: Azov Regiment

text: Biletsky uses Azov fighters to pursue his own political goals. For example, to put pressure on President Zelensky and prevent him from reaching compromises with Russia, Azov veterans marched into Kiev reaching his office and clashing with the police.