Dear Editor:
I was happy too see your fine coverage of the White House rally last month by Ukrainians and others pressing President Barrack Obama to arm Ukraine.
I was one of those who spoke at the rally but an error in the story said I had been at the frontlines near Mariupol with the “37th unit of the Azov Volunteer battalion.” Unfortunately no such outfit exists and although I have spent periods embedded with the Azov and Aidar Battalions, I had, in fact, spent three weeks with the 37th Mechanized Infantry Battalion. It is a volunteer unit, serving as a component of the Ukrainian army (rather than the Internal Affairs Ministry) and its 430 members mostly hail from the Zaporizhia region. It was formed by officers and veterans of elite Soviet-era and, later, Ukrainian airborne forces, something that is reflected in its professionalism, discipline and fighting record in some of the toughest battles.
I want to dispel any confusion because – as I mentioned at the rally – I will be speaking at various Ukrainian community venues to describe the situation Ukrainian fighters face at the frontlines as they prepare to face the next, seemingly inevitable, Russian onslaught. There will be a photo and video presentation featuring the 37th Battalion which, like other courageous volunteer units, relies largely on private donations to keep going.
I hope, when the schedule is arranged, The Ukrainian Weekly will help inform people interested in attending the talks and contributing to their needs. Anyone wanting to read more about the battalion can do so in a recent article by me published by the online magazine The Intercept at https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/ 04/04/ukraine-trench-warfare/).
Washington