Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": "Azov Battalion". Mapping Militant Organizations, Stanford University. March 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022. Founded in 2014, the group promotes Ukrainian nationalism and neo-Nazism through its National Militia paramilitary organization and National Corps political wing.
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Fedorenko, Kostiantyn; Umland, Andreas (March 2022). "Between Frontline and Parliament: Ukrainian Political Parties and Irregular Armed Groups in 2014–2019". Nationalities Papers. 50 (2): 237–261. doi:10.1017/nps.2021.20. The Azov battalion and later regiment has been using stylized, coded neo-Nazi symbols such as the Black Sun and Wolf's Hook, yet it publicly denied that they refer to German fascism (Azov.Press 2015). ...quotes the alleged field-commander of Azov in early 2015 (Roman Zvarych) as saying he recruited "Georgian, American, Lithuanian, and British instructors, and to have advised the Azov movement to refrain from using symbols and ideas that could be linked to Nazism..."Note: some users consider this a passing mention of the term "neo-nazi."[1]
Book: "neo-nazi": Jackson, Paul (22 February 2022). Pride in prejudice. Manchester University Press. doi:10.7765/9781526156730. ISBN978-1-5261-5673-0. S2CID247079111. ...it attracted interest from a range of international neo-Nazi groups, including the Azov Battalion in Ukraine...Note: some users consider this a passing mention.[2]
Book Chapter: "with neo-nazi elements": Kotljarchuk, Andrej (February 2022). "The Counter-Narrative of WWII and the Far Right-Identity". In Mörner, Ninna (ed.). The Many Faces of the Far Right in the Post-Communist(PDF). Centre for Baltic and East European Studies, Södertörn University. pp. 61–75. ISBN978-91-85139-13-2. The internal historical narrative of Belarusian military volunteers in Donbas is based on neo Nazi values. The SS runes and insignia of the 30th Waffen SS division are on helmets of many volunteers. In 2016, police in the Vitebsk region arrested Stanislau Hancharou, one of the Belarusian volunteers in Ukraine, a soldier of the Azov Battalion. He was known in Donbas under his nickname Terror Machine. The media published photos of his body covered by tattoos presenting an illustrated history of Wafen SS and Nazi atrocities. The symbols of the 30th Waffen SS divisio nand Sonderkommando Dirlewanger are adjacent to the image of SS soldiers, as well as a panorama of a death camp with a guard in front shooting a prisoner in the head.
Book: "neo-nazi": Bacigalupo, James; Valeri, Robin Maria; Borgeson, Kevin (14 January 2022). Cyberhate: The Far Right in the Digital Age. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 113. ISBN978-1-7936-0698-3 – via Google Books. The ascendency of a transnational global fascist terrorist network has drawn accelerationists seeking military training with openly neo-Nazi, white supremacist, anti-Semitic organizations like the Azov battalion, who recruited from...Note: some users consider this a passing mention of the term "Azov".[4]
Book: "with neo-nazi elements": Kuzio, Taras (2022). Russian nationalism and the Russian-Ukrainian War. Abingdon, Oxon: Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN978-1-003-19143-8. OCLC1273727328. p. 196: A small number of Russian fascist and neo-Nazi groups opposed Russian military aggression against Ukraine. These included the National Democrats, the National Democratic Alliance, and the Slavic Force. Some of their members joined the Azov Regiment, a unit of Ukraine's national guard largely composed of Russian-speaking eastern Ukrainians. Azov' s political party, the National Corps, has neo-Nazi sympathies
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Chinchilla, Alexandra; Driscoll, Jesse (23 December 2021). "Side-Switching as State-Building: the Case of Russian-Speaking Militias in Eastern Ukraine". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism: 1–20. doi:10.1080/1057610X.2021.2013760. S2CID245484464. Despite its formal incorporation into the National Guard, Azov still maintains its own recruiting facilities – in a Kyiv building, Cossack House, that also houses other right-wing organizations, the National Corps leadership, and Azov's barely-disguised outreach efforts to right-wing groups across Europe. It rents Cossack House from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense to maintain physical autonomy. War has been profitable for Azov and other far-right groups, as well...Even the most ideologically-motivated militias, therefore, find they have material incentives to align with the state and capture their share of pork.
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Nonjon, Adrien (21 December 2021). "Forging the Body of the New Ukrainian Nation: Sport as a Gramscist Tool for the Ukrainian Far-Right". Journal of Illiberalism Studies. 1 (2): 59–74. doi:10.53483/VCIV3532. For a majority of citizens, these ultranationalist movements and their battalion of volunteers are elite forces that have acquired full legitimacy thanks to their victories, whatever their ideology may be...Deliberately choosing a formal integration into the National Guard, the [Azov] regiment's main objective has been "to further develop its organizational structure and reinvigorate both its media outreach and mobilizational potential."
Book: "neo-nazi": Allchorn, William (21 December 2021). Moving beyond Islamist Extremism. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 35. ISBN978-3-8382-1490-0 – via Google Books. ...antisemitic and white-supremacist conspiracy theories circulated by openly neo-fascist and neo-Nazi groups, such as the Azov Battalion in the Ukraine...Note: some users consider this a passing mention.[6]
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Tarasiuk, Taras; Umland, Andreas (29 September 2021). "Unexpected Friendships: Cooperation of Ukrainian Ultra-Nationalists with Russian and Pro-Kremlin Actors". Illiberalism Studies Program Working Papers. Retrieved 25 April 2022. The Azov movement has its roots in a little known and initially Russian-speaking Kharkiv groupuscule called "Patriot of Ukraine."...By autumn 2014, the battalion had become a well-known professional military unit and was transformed into the fully regular "Azov" Regiment of the National Guard under the Ministry of Interior of Ukraine. It has since been considered one of Ukraine's most capable armed formations. The regiment's commanders claim it is now operating according to NATO standards. In winter 2015, veterans and volunteers of the regiment created the Azov Civil Corps and thereby started to expand their political grouping into a multi-faceted social movement.
Book Chapter: "with neo-nazi elements"/"neo-nazi": Dyck, Kristen (22 September 2021). "Holodomor and Holocaust memory in competition and cooperation". Denial: the final stage of genocide?. Taylor & Francis Group. ISBN978-1-000-43736-2. OCLC1263262115. The Azov Battalion and other combat units recycle Nazi visual symbols like the Wolfsangel " and "the Azov Battalion, and other far-right paramilitary organizations often claim their neo-Nazi symbols have nothing to do with anti-Semitism anymore. ... Of course, the argument falters when groups like the Azov Battalion appear in public saying they do not much care that their symbols evoke painful, violent repression for Holocaust survivors and their descendants.
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": MacKenzie, Alex; Kaunert, Christian (25 March 2021). "Radicalisation, Foreign Fighters and the Ukraine Conflict: A Playground for the Far-Right?". Social Sciences. 10 (4): 116. doi:10.3390/socsci10040116. The Azov Regiment, Right Sector, and Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists were or are overtly far-right, while others are or were not so, including the Georgian National Legion...However, Kyiv soon recognised the problems and negative attention brought about by the foreign fighters, including for the purpose of Russian propaganda. It therefore disbanded and integrated these groups into the military by 2016, although some rogue elements persisted into 2019
2020
Primary: "has been accused": Aliyev, Huseyn (2020-07-15). ""Unlikely Recruits": Why Politically Irrelevant Ethnic Minorities Participate in Civil Wars?". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 46 (6). Informa UK Limited: 847–869. doi:10.1080/1057610x.2020.1793457. ISSN1057-610X. S2CID225641399. notorious for their ultranationalist and far-right ideological stance. Combining radical Ukrainian nationalism with elements of Slavic paganism, "Azov" battalion in particular served as the hub for ultranationalist activists from all walks of life, including, but not limited to football hooligans (ultras) and former members of security forces... Notwithstanding the battalions' scandalous ideological background, both "Azov" and DUK attracted large numbers of recruits from the Ukrainian ethnic minorities... While many Crimean Tatars were serving with DUK, Crimean Tatar activists have also collaborated with "Azov" members during the blockade of Crimea events... Some [Jews] were even credited with participating in establishing the "Azov" battalion. Most continued practicing Judaism while serving with volunteer battalions... The battalions' ethnic diversity was widely employed to counter the image of these armed groups as ultranationalist or neo-Nazi organizations. In the words of an "Azov" representative, "our regiment has people from most nationalities in Ukraine and beyond." He further added that "although some [pro-Russian] sources call us fascists, we have Jews and Muslims among our members, … we even have Jewish founding members. How can we be neo-Nazis?."
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Katchanovski, Ivan (19 December 2020). "The far right, the Euromaidan, and the Maidan massacre in Ukraine". Journal of Labor and Society. 23 (1): 5–36. doi:10.1111/lands.12457 (inactive 2023-12-13). Vadym Troian, who was a member of the neo-Nazi Patriot of Ukraine and one of the commanders of the Azov battalion, became the first deputy head of the National Police. Yuri Mykhalchyshyn, a Svoboda deputy, who expressed his neo-Nazi views, stated that he held a senior position in an SBU department in charge of information.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of December 2023 (link)
Primary: "neo-nazi": Edelman, Marc (9 November 2020). "From 'populist moment' to authoritarian era: challenges, dangers, possibilities". The Journal of Peasant Studies. 47 (7): 1418–1444. doi:10.1080/03066150.2020.1802250. ISSN0306-6150. S2CID225214310. Just as hundreds of U.S. and European white supremacists joined Croatian paramilitaries fighting for 'ethnic cleansing' in the 1990s Balkan wars, the current training of foreign white nationalists in Ukrainian military units, such as the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, points to...Note: some users consider this a passing mention.[7]
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Nonjon, Adrien (September 2020). "Olena Semenyaka The "First Lady" of Ukrainian Nationalism". Illiberalism Studies Program Working Papers. Retrieved 25 April 2022. Gaining in visibility as the Azov regiment transformed into a multifaceted movement, Semenyaka has become a major nationalist theorist in Ukraine...Through its extensive financial resources stemming from various nationalist "warlords"—and its integration into the Ukrainian National Guard, headed by the Minister of the Interior, Arsen Avakov, in May 2014—the Azov regiment has been capable of instigating numerous initiatives to enter the Ukrainian political arena in a true Gramscist style: a strategy in which the political battle must be fought above all in the cultural field.
Primary: "neo-nazi": Reid Ross, Alexander; Bevensee, Emmi (July 2020), "Confronting the Rise of EcoFascism Means Grappling with Complex Systems"(PDF), Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right, These groups leverage a white "Indigenous" identity in allyship with neo-Nazi groups like the Azov Batallion, Misanthropic Division, and Right Sector fighting Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine many of whom are, themselves, Duginists.Note: some users consider this a passing mention.[8]
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements/formerly": Aliyev, Huseyn (16 July 2020). "Pro-government Anti-government Armed Groups? Toward Theorizing Pro-government "Government Challengers""(PDF). Terrorism and Political Violence. 34 (7). Informa UK Limited: 1369–1385. doi:10.1080/09546553.2020.1785877. ISSN0954-6553. S2CID225626866. particularly "Azov," DUK and the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) battalions—were created on the basis of previously existent ultranationalist or neo-Nazi groups." and "Although when first assembled in April–May 2014 the DUK/UDA, "Azov," "Aydar" and many other battalions promoted ultranationalist and even neo-Nazi views, as the battalions became more ideologically mature their radical right-wing ideology gradually toned down.
Book chapter: "formerly/with neo-nazi elements": Umland, Andreas (June 2020). "Irregular Militias and Radical Nationalism in Post-Euromaydan Ukraine: The Prehistory and Emergence of the "Azov" Battalion in 2014". The 21st Century Cold War (Taylor & Francis). 31: 105–131. doi:10.1080/09546553.2018.1555974. S2CID150443541. As briefly illustrated below, the formerly neo-Nazi leanings in the leadership of this group that today controls a relatively large military unit could present several problems. The regiment's key commanders held, in the past, manifestly fascist views and may still hold them to one degree or another today. That would put into question the regiment's public respectability as well as the need for special scrutiny of its further development.
Secondary: "with neo-nazi elements": Lister, Tim (April 2020). "The Nexus Between Far-Right Extremists in the United States and Ukraine". CTC Sentinel. 13 (4). a country with a well-established, trained, and equipped far-right militia—the Azov Regiment—that has been actively engaged in the conflict against Russian-backed separatists in Donbas...In 2014, as pro-Russian groups began to seize parts of the Donbas, a neo-Nazi group that called itself Patriot of Ukraine formed a battalion to reinforce the beleaguered Ukrainian army. Few qualifications were required, and volunteers came from all walks of life. The group soon became better known as the Azov Regiment.
2019
Book: "neo-nazi": Mudde, Cas (25 October 2019). The Far Right Today. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN978-1-5095-3685-6 – via Google Books. march through the streets of Kyiv, sometimes in torchlight processions, to commemorate old and new far-right heroes, including those of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, which fights against the Russian-backed occupation of Crimea.Note: some users consider this a passing mention.[9]
Primary: "Does not mention"/Attributed: "with neo-nazi elements": Bukkvoll, Tor (4 January 2019). "Fighting on behalf of the state—the issue of pro-government militia autonomy in the Donbas war". Post-Soviet Affairs. 35 (4). Taylor and Francis: 293–307. doi:10.1080/1060586X.2019.1615810. S2CID164870902. However, as mentioned, Pravii Sektor has continued to fight without formally submitting to the control of regular forces; and the Azov battalion, despite nominally being subordinated within official structures, continues in practice to operate with significant autonomy....Quote from Arsen Avakov, Interior Minister (2016): "And, we had even more doubts about the Azov battalion. In particular, we were sceptical towards the religious motives of several of their people, and about their right-wing radicalism. But I was thinking, what is worse, that they run the streets breaking shop windows or that they feel some responsibility for their country and do a bit of fighting? This was my logic at the time."
2018
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Saressalo, Teemu; Huhtinen, Aki-Mauri (2 October 2018). "The Information Blitzkrieg — "Hybrid" Operations Azov Style". The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 31 (4). Informa UK Limited: 423–443. doi:10.1080/13518046.2018.1521358. ISSN1351-8046. S2CID150074996. The Azov Battalion stands out among these because of its Nazi rhetoric and symbolism, which are not as prominent in most other battalions...What sets the Azov Battalion apart from other volunteer units in Eastern Ukraine is its outspoken neo-Nazi views and use of questionable symbols p.440, Ideology
2017
Primary: "has been accused"/"Does not mention": Käihkö, Ilmari (4 December 2017). "A nation-in-the-making, in arms: control of force, strategy and the Ukrainian Volunteer Battalions". Defence Studies. 18 (2). Taylor & Francis: 146–166. doi:10.1080/14702436.2018.1461013. The nature of volunteers deserves additional attention, especially as they are simultaneously viewed with suspicion by some because of their perceived connection to extreme political movements, and hailed as heroes by others...While this can be interpreted as the negation of the strategy to undermine it, Azov nevertheless offers the best example of the evolution of the volunteer battalions from revolutionaries with construction helmets and ice hockey armor to disciplined military formations closely paying attention to NATO standards.
Primary: "neo-nazi": Buckholz, Quentin (7 November 2017). "The Dogs That Didn't Bark". Problems of Post-Communism. 66 (3). Informa UK Limited: 151–160. doi:10.1080/10758216.2017.1367256. ISSN1075-8216. S2CID158734607. Despite significant criticism from Ukraine's international donors, Avakov has continued to defend Azov, which is the military wing of the white supremacist, neo-Nazi Social-National Assembly of Ukraine.
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Ragozin, Leonid (2017). "Brothers in Arms: Why Russian ultranationalists confronted their own government on the battlefields of Ukraine". World Policy Journal. 34 (2): 91–98. doi:10.1215/07402775-4191391. ISSN1936-0924. S2CID157918103. Retrieved 12 April 2022. "Zheleznov emerged from his first prison term after two years, a rising star of the far right. He was recruited by perhaps the most prominent Russian neo-Nazi of the time, Maksim Martsinkevich. Also known by his nickname, Tesak, meaning "The Hatchet," Martsinkevich was as much a showman as a militant. He was even featured on Russian TV shows and on the British documentary series, Ross Kemp on Gangs. He appointed Zheleznov as PR man for his new organization, Restruct, which became known for harassing people whom it claimed were pedophiles—though most of them, Zheleznov now admits, were just "regular gays."" (Note: Zheleznov, along with many other Russian neo-nazis, are prominent members of the Azov Battalion [10])
2016
Primary: "neo-nazi": Mandel, David (2 January 2016). "The conflict in Ukraine". Journal of Contemporary Central and Eastern Europe. 24 (1). Informa UK Limited: 83–88. doi:10.1080/0965156x.2016.1171011. ISSN2573-9638. S2CID156126251. To cite just two examples, Vadim Troyan, deputy commander of the neo-nazi Azov Regiment and active member of the neo-nazi paramilitary organisation Patriot of Ukraine...
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements": Bezruk, Tetjana; Umland, Andreas; Weichsel, Volker (2015). "Der Fall "Azov": Freiwilligenbataillone in der Ukraine". Osteuropa. 65 (1/2): 33–41. ISSN0030-6428. JSTOR44936628. Retrieved 11 April 2022. However, only some of the members of the Azov association, which has now become a regiment, as well as other nationalist volunteer battalions, are openly racist
Primary:: "has been accused": Kuzio, Taras (2015-06-01). "A new framework for understanding nationalisms in Ukraine: democratic revolutions, separatism and Russian hybrid war". Geopolitics, History, and International Relations. 7 (1): 30–52. ISSN1948-9145. Retrieved 2022-04-27. In the 1990s SNPU's symbol was suspiciously similar to the Hakenkreuz (hook-cross or swastika) used by the Nazis and the symbol continues to be used by the SNA, giving rise to Western press reports of the "neo-Nazi" Azov, although they now claim that the symbol stands for "SN" (Slava Natsii [Glory to the Nation]).
Discussion of Scholarship sources, quotations, and assessments
Glenn Diesen has been widely criticized for promoting Russian propaganda
Somehow, Glenn Diesen is listed as a top-scholar and the first source in the "Scholarship" section. Yet, he is widely known as a Russian Today speaker, for allegedly promoting Russian propaganda (according to Scandinavian media, Russia experts and other scholars) and for being a contributor for a conspiracy theory website. Surprised nobody brought this up, in more than one month. Mcrt007 (talk) 16:37, 13 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
And not only is Diesen considered highly unreliable, this is a passing mention in a text about "Russophobia" not a text about the Ukrainian right. I think we should remove this source. BobFromBrockley (talk) 22:15, 14 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
@User:Xx236 The entire question is about how academics refer to this group. I will note your dispute on the source itself, because it is entirely reasonable to say that it is a "drive-by" which is not as helpful to determining coverage. (I will say i dispute this characterization and I think it is a perfectly fine quotation showing that the authors considered this question and weighed in on it. Conclusion sections aren't everything for our purposes.) — Shibbolethink(♔♕)10:15, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Authors are experts on far right, but not on Ukraine. Is an RS, but not the strongest. One brief mention of Azov in a whole book: counts as drive-by I think. BobFromBrockley (talk) 10:47, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Harsha Walia is a (radical) Canadian activist based in Vancouver
Walia is a radical activist and the quoted book 'Border and Rule' demands no borders politics. 'The system... must be dismantled.' This Wikipedia is a part of the system, so let's dismantle it. No EE knowledge expected, so she quotes probably someone.Xx236 (talk) 08:52, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Walia's radicalism and her position on borders is not at all relevant here. However, this is clearly a not particularly informed passing mention in a book about something completely different. She has no specific expertise on Nazism or Ukraine. I'd strike this source. BobFromBrockley (talk) 10:49, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
@User:Xx236 this is the crux of the entire sourcing question (Are these two groups contiguous wrt members, etc). By showing the chronology of the souricng, we help answer that question objectively and without bias. If these two groups are completely separate, it should become clear in the sources and how our best available RSes cover this content.— Shibbolethink(♔♕)10:11, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
You are right. However Umland, Andreas (June 2020) is (title) about 2014. The DOI was wrong, I replaced it, now it works but looks bad. Xx236 (talk) 10:19, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Can you format it correctly? The text uses the words "today" referring to 2020, and also refers to the past (as in 2014). I see no problem there. Everyone can read the title for themselves and the quotation and make their own conclusions to verify the assessment. Hence why the characterization says "formerly."— Shibbolethink(♔♕)10:38, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Both Allchorn and Mudde are highly regarded experts on the global far right, but neither of them has any specific expertise on Ukraine, so I would count these as less weighty than more expert takes such as Umland's. See also my comments in source discussion in RfC below. BobFromBrockley (talk) 10:57, 13 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Nationalities Papers
Primary: "with neo-nazi elements/says not neo-nazi": :Gomza, Ivan; Zajaczkowski, Johann (September 2019). "Black Sun Rising: Political Opportunity Structure Perceptions and Institutionalization of the Azov Movement in Post-Euromaidan Ukraine". Nationalities Papers. 47 (5): 774–800. doi:10.1017/nps.2019.30. S2CID213989920. carried out an in-depth study of Azov members' activity online, and their results attributed a characterization of "Radical" far right nationalist to 38% of members, and precisely 0% as Nazi or neo-Nazi.
I've removed the above source from the list as I have read through the paper and consider the summary and categories attached to it to be a gross misreading of the text. The journal, as far as I can parse, never studied the neo-Nazism of the group. The paper is a study of political opportunity structure as it relates to Asov. I'm not actually sure that this paper can even be used to add to this particular RfC. Vladimir.copic (talk) 03:33, 14 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
In that case we definitely have remove Jackson, Stilhoff Sörensen, Bacigalupo, Walia, Allchorn, Edelman, Reid Ross, Mudde, and probably Buckholz, because none of them studied Azov and none of them (except maybe Buckholz) have any expertise on Ukraine or access to Ukrainian or Russian sources. They’re passing mentions in books/articles about other things. Some of them are experts on fascism; others (Walia, Edelman, Stilhoff Sörensen) aren’t even that BobFromBrockley (talk) 09:29, 14 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
The quotes show they considered Nazism and Azov. Their expertise is a question that needs to be answered with RSes, not our opinions. And expertise in extremism is enough for our purposes. I'm definitely open to the idea that Walia or others aren't experts in any of these or adjacent fields, but we need RSes to show that. It's not a high bar, if we have RSes which show that their training is in something else and they don't work in this area, that's enough to exclude them.
However, if they have expertise in extremism, that is enough to include them. If all we accepted was experts in Azov AND experts in Nazism, then we basically lose everything in this list. One does not need to be an expert in the narrowest thing in order to be worth listening to. They just need to be a reasonably-trustworthy expert which our sources trust as an expert. Jackson and Sörenson covered Azov because the quote shows they did.
If it's a passing mention that's a different matter and will happily note that. But we can't just remove sources because you or someone else thinks the person who wrote them is not trustworthy, that's an extremely subjective measure. We either need RSes or a local/global wiki consensus to support that action. Otherwise it's a mechanism that's too easy to abuse. And I mean that for any source of any kind in this list.— Shibbolethink(♔♕)11:18, 14 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I do also want to say I agree that this Black Sun Rising source should be excluded, and I will revert if someone re-adds it as well. The criticism from VC is accurate, they do not include "Nazi" or "Neo-Nazi" in their categories, so we should NOT be saying that it was "0% Neo-nazi". That's extremely misleading and inappropriate. Worse than cherry-picking, it is willful mis-understanding.— Shibbolethink(♔♕)11:26, 14 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I have reread Vladimir comment and realise I misunderstood it. I’ve also read the Nationalities Papers article and agree the summary is misleading. It says “far right” but is neither here nor there on the question of “neo-Nazi”. BobFromBrockley (talk) 20:37, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
It's okay! I think pretty much everyone here has made mistakes while making this source review. And that's why it's so important to have multiple contributors all helping out from different perspectives.— Shibbolethink(♔♕)21:49, 17 April 2022 (UTC)[reply]
I've finally gotten around to reading this carefully. My strong conclusion is that Vladimir is correct that it was mischaracterised before, but wrong to remove it. It should return but with the tag "Does not mention". It's true it is not focused on characterising the group's ideology, but that is also true of most of the articles which say "neo-Nazi" which simply mention the group in passing. The other issue is that it looks at the whole Azov movement, not the Battalion/Regiment. The article exhaustively examines the group and describes it repeatedly as "far-right". It also indicates shift over time: "originally a far-right groupuscule", they note a shift towards mainstream politics. "We argue that although Azov kept part of its subcultural nationalist thrust, this did not preclude conversion into a pragmatic movement well integrated into conventional politics." In short, this strong source would give us "far-right" and "nationalist" but not "neo-Nazi" and definitely not in the present tense. BobFromBrockley (talk) 16:09, 20 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
@Bobfrombrockley: you are right. Removing the Nationalities Papers article was unjustified. Not including an article from a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Cambridge University Press because is not scholarly enough, while including much weaker sources from non-academics is ridiculous. Mcrt007 (talk) 19:52, 27 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
Some non-experts are being presented as experts. Why?
Harsha Walia, for examples, is not an academic nor a researcher/scholar. She has zero peer reviewed research articles on extremism or Eastern European studies, and no reliable source seems to present her as such. Why was she even considered a scholar on the current topic? Mcrt007 (talk) 18:56, 27 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]
