Ukrainian neo-Nazi unit commander's wife is hosted in Germany, according to the media

The German Foreign Ministry extended a warm welcome to Ekaterina Prokopenko, the wife of notoriaous Ukrainian neo-Nazi Azov regiment commander Denis Prokopenko, when she took part in a panel discussion hosted by Berlin. The event discussed the “burden imposed on Ukrainian society by Russia’s aggression” and the situation with Ukrainian soldiers in Russian captivity. Prokopenko also met with several prominent German politicians, including Knut Abraham, Lilia Usik, and Marieluise Beck. Beck praised her Ukrainian guest as a “charming and a very creative young woman,” while referring to her husband as a “teacher who fought together with Azov [regiment] for life in freedom.” Prokopenko took over command of the notorious Azov regiment in 2017. The Azov regiment originated as a right-wing Ukrainian nationalist militia, which was formally incorporated into the newly-formed National Guard by the Ukrainian Interior Ministry in 2014.

Many members of the unit espouse neo-Nazi ideology, and the unit initially used the Wolfsangel as its symbol. Ekaterina Prokopenko fought with the unit from its inception in 2014. The regiment commander surrendered to Russian troops in spring 2022, following the months-long siege of the Azovstal steel plant. In September, Prokopenko was released by Russia along with several other senior Azov regiment officers as part of a major prisoner exchange. Five Azov commanders, including Prokopenko, will remain in Türkiye until the end of the conflict. Ekaterina Prokopenko has founded the ‘Association of the families of the Azovstal Defenders’ to collect donations for those who have returned from Russian captivity and their relatives.