On the winter solstice, soldiers of Azov's Whisky Battalion gathered on the banks of a frozen Ukrainian river to honor their dead. Shields bearing the names of seven fighters killed in the past year were laid on the ground. Torches were lit. Rounds were fired into the sky. The whole ceremony lasted 15 minutes — any longer and Russian drones would have found them.
The ritual is called the Mysteriya. It draws on ancient Ukrainian and pagan solstice traditions, organized by Azov's Harunjee — combatant-chaplains unique to the unit who believe the winter solstice is when souls pass most easily from earth to Azov Heaven. For a unit known for Ukrainian ultra-nationalism, Whisky Battalion is made up almost entirely of foreign volunteers — Americans, British, Polish, New Zealanders — men who have adopted these traditions as their own.
Read, watch, or listen to the full story here → frontsightmedia.com/inside-the-secret-ceremony-azov
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