Officer with Ukrainian unit linked to neo-Nazis received military training in Canada
Sources say Defence Minister David McGuinty was unaware the Azov Brigade soldier had been invited to RMC Saint-Jean.
Author of the article:
By David Pugliese • Ottawa Citizen
Published Apr 15, 2026 A non-commissioned officer with a Ukrainian unit linked to neo-Nazis has received military training in Canada and graduated from a Canadian Forces leadership course.
Previously, the Canadian Forces and Department of National Defence maintained they would not train or associate with the controversial Azov Brigade.
But a member of the brigade was at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean in Quebec for leadership training from Jan. 13 to Feb. 5, 2026, according to Canadian soldiers who contacted the Ottawa Citizen.
Objections to the Azov soldier’s presence were submitted by Canadian Forces personnel to military leaders immediately, but were ignored.
Defence Minister David McGuinty, in a statement to the Ottawa Citizen, said “at no point has Canada’s mandate included training members of the Azov Battalion.”
“We have reinforced our policy to prevent any recurrence and remain firmly opposed to Nazism, racism, and all forms of extremism while promoting human rights, and the rule of law in all international engagements,” he added.
Department of National Defence spokesperson Kened Sadiku said Ukraine had previously been explicitly told not to send members of the Azov Brigade to Canadian military training. Despite identifying the presence of the Azov soldier in the non-commissioned member leadership training program, the Canadian Forces decided to allow him to continue participating.
“Given that fewer than seven days remained in the course and the individual had effectively completed the training, it was determined that the individual would be permitted to graduate,” Sadiku said.
The Azov Brigade, originally referred to as a battalion or regiment, is highly controversial. In 2018, the United States Congress banned the use of U.S. funds to provide arms, training and other assistance to the unit because of its links to the far-right and to neo-Nazis.
But in June 2024, U.S. President Joe Biden lifted the ban for Azov, which is seen as highly effective on the battlefield in defending Ukraine from Russia’s invasion.
The Canadian Forces previously had
a strict policy of distancing itself because of the unit’s far-right associations.
But, under Chief of the Defence Staff Gen. Jennie Carignan, it appears that may have changed.
In July 2025, Canadian military personnel hosted a meeting with Azov Brigade staff,
the Maple, an online publication, reported in October. Azov personnel described the meeting with the Canadians as a “friendly and open dialogue.”
At the time, the Canadian Forces confirmed that the meeting took place in Ukraine, but refused to answer specific questions from the Ottawa Citizen. Brig. Gen. Serge Menard, who arranged the meeting, told Azov representatives it would be a “pleasure to greet you at the Canadian Embassy.”
Menard declined to be interviewed by the Ottawa Citizen.
At the time, DND spokesperson Nick Drescher Brown noted in an email that First Corps Azov was an established unit within the National Guard of Ukraine under the Ministry of the Interior.
“It is important to note that such meetings do not constitute endorsement of a particular individual or organization’s position or values,” he added.
That response was different in tone from previous statements and views in which some Canadian military officers and senior DND personnel warned about Azov’s neo-Nazi links.
In March 2022, Lt. Col. André Salloum noted in an email that questions about Canadian links to Azov had “dogged us for years,”
according to the Maple’s reporting.
“It’s true that Azov was brought into the NGU (National Guard of Ukraine), but we don’t train them because they are fanatics, and we don’t share their values,” Salloum added.
In 2017, Canada’s Joint Task Force Ukraine produced a briefing on the Azov, then a battalion, acknowledging its links to Nazi ideology. “Multiple members of Azov have described themselves as Nazis,” the Canadian officers warned
in their briefing, which was obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.
In 2018 Canadian military officers attended a meeting with Azov representatives, but had no prior knowledge of those who would be attending,
according to then DND spokesperson Dan Le Bouthillier. “Canada has not, does not, and will not be providing support to Azov and affiliated entities,” Le Bouthillier said.
In April 2022,
Radio Canada reported that Canadian military personnel trained both members of the Azov unit and at least one Ukrainian soldier who sported the crest of a Nazi SS unit from the Second World War. The training took place in November 2020 in Ukraine.
Efraim Zuroff, an American-born Israeli historian who has focused on Nazi war criminals and the rise of neo-Nazis, said the Canadian Forces’ decision to train members of the Azov Brigade was wrong. “This unit has a history of affiliations with the far right and Nazi (elements),” he said in an interview with the Ottawa Citizen. “What doesn’t the Canadian military understand about that?”
Azov supporters, however, say the unit has distanced itself from neo-Nazi affiliations. Others have claimed allegations made against Azov are part of a Russian disinformation campaign.
But in an earlier interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Zuroff dismissed such claims. “It’s not Russian propaganda, far from it,” he explained. “These people are neo-Nazis. There is an element of the ultra-right in Ukraine and it’s absurd to ignore it.”
In 2019, the Soufan Center, created by former FBI agent Ali Soufan, who was involved in a number of counter-terrorism cases, warned about the connection between the Azov Battalion and white nationalists.
“In Ukraine, the Azov Battalion has recruited foreign fighters motivated by white supremacy and neo-Nazi beliefs, including many from the West, to join its ranks and receive training, indoctrination and instruction in irregular warfare,” the report outlined.
The Azov Battalion had been formerly incorporated into the Ukrainian military, at least in theory, the Soufan Center report noted. But the battalion has cultivated a relationship with members of the Atomwaffen Division, a U.S.-based neo-Nazi terrorist network, it added.
Andrey Dyachenko, a spokesperson for Azov,
told USA Today in March 2015 that only 10 to 20 per cent of the unit were Nazis.
The U.S.-based magazine,
the Nation, has argued that the Azov remains linked to its far-right ideology.
In previous cases where the Canadian Forces has been involved with Azov, the main concern of the military leadership was to make sure such interactions weren’t discovered by the news media.
During the June 2018 meeting,
the Canadians met with and were briefed by Azov leaders. The Canadian officers and diplomats were photographed with Azov officials. Azov then used those photos for its online propaganda, pointing out the Canadian delegation expressed “hopes for further fruitful co-operation.”
At the time, Bernie Farber, head of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, said that the Canadians should have immediately walked out of the briefing.
“Canadian armed forces personnel do not meet with Nazis; period, full stop,” Farber said. “This a horrendous mistake that shouldn’t have been made.”
Another gathering in December 2018 involving Azov was attended by then Canadian Army commander Lt.-Gen. Jean-Marc Lanthier, according to documents obtained by the Ottawa Citizen.
Members of the Azov unit were present, but, again, instead of denouncing the battalion’s Nazi sympathies, DND and the Canadian Forces focused concern on the possibility that photos might have been taken showing Canadian soldiers with members of the Azov unit.
Chris Henderson, then assistant deputy minister for public affairs, emailed more than 20 DND public-relations officers, worried that photos might appear online.
A DND spokesperson later said that Canadian military representatives had no prior knowledge of those who would be attending the meeting.
