Video uncovered by the Active Measures investigative journalism project shows Boris Johnson, the former British prime minister, praising the Neo-Nazi Azov Brigade at a meeting of leading politicians and uniformed soldiers in London, England. The incident, believed to have occurred on May 22, 2024, appears to have taken place at a swanky, private members club, with Johnson stating: “My message to you is very simple: Thank you to the heroes from the Azov Brigade who honor us with their presence tonight.”
EXCLUSIVE: Active Measures has obtained footage of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson praising Ukraine’s neo-Nazi Azov Battalion.
Johnson additionally calls for the Ukrainian government to be authorized to use Western weapons inside Russian territory. pic.twitter.com/CuK5SQjX0R
— ACTIVE MEASURES (@ActiveMeasures8) May 23, 2024
The footage is especially stunning given Johnson’s propensity to invoke the legacy of Sir Winston Churchill, the most avowedly anti-Nazi leader the Western world has ever seen, as part of his political tradition.
“Give the Ukrainians what they need. Give them the weapons, give them the authorization to use those weapons outside their own borders,” Johnson said in his speech, calling it “ludicrous” that Ukraine’s Western backers have asked them not to strike targets inside Russia proper with Western missiles.
“It’s the single best investment that we could make in the defense of the whole Euro-Atlantic area, is supporting Ukrainian heroes… We rely wholly on heroes such as the people who are here tonight with us, from the Azov Brigade,” he insisted.
NOT THE ONLY ‘CONSERVATIVE’ BACKING ACTUAL NAZIS.
Johnson also posed for pictures with uniformed soldiers holding an Azov banner featuring a symbol known as the wolfsangel, or wolf’s hook, used during World War II by Waffen-SS Division Das Reich and other units loyal to Adolf Hitler, whose personal nickname was ‘Wolf.’
The wolf’s hook was supposedly dropped by Azov in 2022 in favor of less obvious Neo-Nazi iconography but was clearly visible on the patches worn by the soldiers attending the Johnson meeting.
Also in attendance were Ben Wallace, the former Defence Secretary, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former Conservative Party leader, and other politicians.
Johnson was Prime Minister at the time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and personally scuppered an early peace deal, according to both Russian leader Vladimir Putin and the then-Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett, who helped to broker it.