The Warrior Games is a multi-sport event for wounded, injured or ill service personnel and veterans organized by the United States Department of Defense (DoD).

The Army hosted the games for the second time in 2022, August 19–28. 

The event was held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex Walt Disney World, Florida with nearly 300 athletes attending. The Canadian Armed Forces participated for the second time, following a training camp in Edmonton from July 11 to 15. The Armed Forces of Ukraine participated for the first time, after a month-long training program in the United Kingdom at RAF Brize Norton before traveling to the games. The Ukraine team won a number of medals at the games.

Family Program

The Warrior Games Family Program, led by the Fisher House Foundation, has supported the athletes and their families since 2012.

U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Robert Dominguez, veteran, a native of Clovis, CA, competed in the 2022 DoD Warrior Games in Orlando, Fla. on Aug.18-28, 2022. The annual event celebrates the resiliency and dedication of wounded, ill, and injured U.S. Service Members and veterans. Dominguez has competed in the games since 2018 (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Mitchell Johnson)

https://www.woundedwarrior.marines.mil/2022WarriorGames/

WHY WOULD THE UKRAINIAN FORCES BE PART OF THESE GAMES…?????

SILLY ME…..

Far-Right Group Made Its Home in Ukraine’s Major Western Military Training Hub

Oleksiy Kuzmenko

IERES Occasional Papers, no. 11, September 2021

Transnational History of the Far Right Series

https://www.illiberalism.org/far-right-group-made-its-home-in-ukraines-major-western-military-training-hub/

Evidence uncovered in this paper suggests that since 2018, the Hetman Petro Sahaidachny National Army Academy (NAA), Ukraine’s premier military education institution and a major hub for Western military assistance to the country, has been home to Centuria, a self-described order of “European traditionalist” military officers that has the stated goals of reshaping the country’s military along right-wing ideological lines and defending the “cultural and ethnic identity” of European peoples against “Brussels’ politicos and bureaucrats.” The group envisions a future where “European right forces are consolidated and national traditionalism is established as the disciplining ideological basis for the European peoples.”

The group, led by individuals with ties to Ukraine’s internationally active far-right Azov movement, has attracted multiple members, including current and former officer cadets of the NAA now serving in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Apparent members have appeared in photos giving Nazi salutes and made seemingly extremist statements online.

The group has been able to proselytize Ukraine’s future military elite inside the NAA. Apparent members have also gained access to Western military education and training Institutions. One apparent member of the group, then NAA cadet Kyrylo Dubrovskyi, attended an 11-month Officer Training Course at the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, graduating in late 2020. During that time, Dubrovskyi apparently maintained ties to the group. Another apparent member and then NAA cadet, Vladyslav Vintergoller, attended the 30th International Week held by the German Army Officers’ Academy (Die Offizierschule des Heeres, OSH) in Dresden, Germany, in April 2019. Meanwhile, inside Ukraine, members of the group have apparently had access to American military trainers, as well as American and French cadets. As recently as April 2021, the group claimed that since its launch, members have participated in joint military exercises with France, the UK, Canada, the US, Germany, and Poland.

The group claims that its members serve as officers in several units of Ukraine’s military. These claims appear credible because of the group’s confirmed presence in the NAA and the fact that some apparent members likely joined Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) units after graduating between 2019 and 2021. Since at least 2019, Centuria has announced several mobilizations, calling on ideologically aligned members of the AFU to seek transfer to specific units where the group’s members serve. To attract new members, the group—via its Telegram channel, which has over 1,200 followers and a dedicated mobilization bot—continues to tout its alleged role in the AFU and access to Western training, military, and exchange programs.

The group has strong ties to Ukraine’s far-right Azov movement, has promoted Azov to NAA cadets, and credibly claimed that its members lectured in the Azov Regiment of the National Guard, the military wing of the Azov movement. The image of strong ties between the former and Centuria’ is further reinforced by the fact that an Azov-linked magazine contemporaneously reported the group’s presence within the NAA in 2018; by supportive statements from Azov figures; by photos of the group’s apparent leaders and members with Azov leaders; and by Centuria’s participation in a political rally with the Azov movement. Online, Centuria has been endorsed by leading figures of the Azov movement, and apparent leaders and members of the group have appeared in photos with Azov’s leader, Andriy Biletsky, and key spokesman for the movement Yuriy Mykhalchyshyn. The National Corps party, the political wing of the Azov movement, and the Azov Regiment did not return the author’s requests to comment.

Centuria’s ties to the Azov movement are alarming because the U.S. Congress banned the use of U.S. budget funds “to provide arms, training, or other assistance to the Azov Battalion” in 2018 and has since maintained that provision, including in the 2021 government spending bill. Centuria’s access to Western military training through the NAA and its alleged presence in the AFU may benefit the Azov movement. American lawmakers have repeatedly called on the Department of State to designate Azov as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). In the most recent such call, in April 2021, Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that “the Azov Battalion […] uses the internet to recruit new members and then radicalize them to use violence to pursue its white identity political agenda.” Yet the US and Western governments have not called on the government of Ukraine to sever ties with the Azov movement, and that far-right organization remains integrated into the government of Ukraine via the Azov Regiment.

When reached for commentary about Centuria’s activities, apparent leaders, and ideology, the National Army Academy denied that the group operated within the institution and stated that its probe into the group’s alleged activities had turned up no evidence of such activities. But evidence collected in this paper firmly places the group in the academy. The NAA spokesman emphasized the Academy’s intolerance of extremism. Belying such statements, in yet another case, an NAA cadet was apparently involved as a firearms instructor with an Azov movement-linked far-right group that the United Jewish Community of Ukraine accused in 2021 of spreading anti-Semitic propaganda. NAA cadets also appear in photos making gestures alluding to Nazi salutes.

Centuria’s evident ability to operate within the NAA and its credible claims regarding its presence in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and access to Western training and military are likely just one of the consequences of the apparent lack of screening—by the Ukrainian authorities and Western governments alike—of Ukrainian servicemen for extremist views and ties to extremist groups. The Ukrainian military’s failure to check Centuria activities suggests a level of tolerance on its part for the apparent proliferation of far-right ideology and influence within the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Reached for comment, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense stated that it does not screen those entering the military or military cadets for extremist views and ties. Meanwhile, several Western governments involved in training and arming Ukrainian troops stated, in response to the author’s request, that Ukraine is responsible for vetting Ukrainian soldiers trained by the West. None of the Western governments contacted—the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany—vet Ukrainian training recipients for extremist views and ties.

These findings and conclusions were made possible because the author monitored and documented Centuria’s changing online presence from early 2019. Since that time, Centuria has moved toward increased secrecy, which likely explains the disappearance of earlier iterations of its online presence. Centuria’s current Telegram channel, @ArmyCen, has been active since April 2020. It was preceded by the now-inaccessible @european_centuria and @euro_order Telegram channels, active between 2018 and late 2019, as well as by the currently inaccessible Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/centuriaNASV/, the Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/euro_order_centuria/, which was active until late 2020, and the now dormant VK page https://vk.com/european_centuria. Notably, in yet another sign of the group’s reliance on the Academy’s brand for self-promotion, the URL of its Facebook page included the widely recognized and official initialism of the NAA’s full name, where NASV stands for the Ukrainian “Національна Академія Сухопутних Військ,” which, translated literally, means the National Academy of Land Forces.

The group’s earlier online presence occasionally revealed faces, unique call signs, Telegram channels operated by the group’s members, identifying details about them, or locations where alleged activities took place. These instances were preserved by the author, enabling to verify the locations of alleged events and trace particular members to their social media presence (including via such tools as facial recognition website Findclone.ru, which directs to profiles and photos on VK.com that match the face one searches). This led in some cases to the immediate discovery of their personal details and in others to additional evidence regarding their identity, the group’s events and activities, and other members. Overall, the findings suggest that nearly 20 individuals are involved with Centuria, although this article does not name all of them. Evidence gleaned from the group’s propaganda and social media profiles was checked against publicly available information about the Academy, its cadets, media reports from public events in which the group claimed to have participated, databases of publicly available information about residents of Ukraine, etc. Microsoft Azure Face verification tools were used to confirm the presence of particular individuals in certain photos and videos. The author also conducted interviews with or reached out to organizations and governments mentioned in the report, providing them with an opportunity to comment. The author also made efforts to reach out to “Centuria’s apparent leaders, as well as to individual group members.

As the author reached out to Centuria, its apparent members, and the NAA for comment, the group and individuals linked to it took steps to remove portions of their online presence. The author preserved archived copies of the group’s statements, pages operated by the group and its apparent members.

This research was produced by the author for the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES). The author coordinated his work with IERES Director, Dr Marlene Laruelle.

Likely timeline of activities

Late 2017- early 2018: apparent leaders of the group appear in photos linking them to the NAA

In 2018:

• The group is launched. Centuria’s online posts name May 2018 as the date it began operations. However, its earliest online activities date back to February 2018.
• Centuria holds events inside the NAA
• Національна оборона (English: National Defense) magazine, linked to the far-right Azov movement, reports on Centuria’s presence in the NAA

In 2019:

• Members allegedly conduct lectures for the Azov Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine
• Centuria marches at a rally in Lviv organized by far-right parties
• Texts describing the group’s ideology and goals in detail are published by Centuria online
• Centuria congratulates members on graduating from the NAA
• The group states that members have assumed roles as officers in several AFU units
• Centuria calls on followers within the Ukrainian military to seek transfer to specific military units where Centuria members supposedly serve as officers.
• Apparent member attends 30th International Week held by the German Army Officers’ Academy in Dresden

In 2020:

• Apparent member of Centuria attends and graduates from 11-month Officer Training Course at the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
• Centuria congratulates members on graduating from the NAA
• Centuria continues to call on followers to seek transfer to a growing list of specific AFU units where members supposedly serve as officers
• Centuria states that besides members of the military, it is open to members of  security and law enforcement agencies
• Centuria comes out with statements distancing itself from a newly-launched group of the same name that was previously known as National Militia, the street wing of the Azov movement
• The group claims continued activity within the NAA
• Apparent member of the group appears in photos with American military trainers taken at the International Peacekeeping and Security Center

In 2021:

• The group announces a new focus on cooperation with foreign units in Ukraine and a move to “more refined and secretive” activities
• Centuria congratulates members on graduating from the NAA
• It states that members of the group are active in Kyiv, Odessa, Kharkiv, and Lviv
• The group claims that members have proven effective as officers in the Armed Forces of Ukraine
• Centuria continues to call on followers to seek transfer to a growing list of specific AFU units where members supposedly serve as officers
• It claims that since the group’s launch, multiple members have participated in military exercises with France, the UK, Canada, the US, Germany, and Poland

The NAA: Shaping the Country’s Military Elite and Frontline Fighters with Western Assistance

The Hetman Petro Sahaidachny National Army Academy (NAA—Ukrainian: Національна академія сухопутних військ імені гетьмана Петра Сагайдачного) is a key institution in Ukraine’s military education system. With its sprawling centrally located campus—the scale of which can be appreciated via a 3D tour available on the Academy’s site—in Lviv, the NAA is home to thousands of cadets on track to join Ukraine’s Armed Forces as officers. It is within the walls of the NAA that, according to the Academy’s Chief, Lt. Gen. Pavlo Tkachuk, “great Ukrainian military commanders of the future are acquiring their skills.”

Ukraine’s Western partners are involved in the shaping of its future military leaders.The Academy’s 2020-2025 Strategy highlights “facilitation of the integration into NATO” as a key part of its mission and emphasizes cooperation with NATO [military] education institutions. Currently, per the NAA, dedicated permanent advisors from Germany, Canada, and Denmark, as well as experts of NATO’s Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP), are involved in shaping the curriculum the Academy teaches to its students. The Academy’s facilities also reflect the West’s involvement: in 2018, for example, the NAA unveiled a high-tech “Delta Classroom” sponsored by Canada.

READ MORE:

https://www.illiberalism.org/far-right-group-made-its-home-in-ukraines-major-western-military-training-hub/

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