A peculiar scene took place in Hungary last week.
A young Ukrainian boxer by the name of Diana Petrenko held up an Ukrainian flag with the crest featuring “wolfsangel” symbol during her podium appearance. Wolfsangel symbol is notorious for it’s connotations and just last week another fighter was asked to tape his tattoo featuring the same symbol.
Petrenko was promptly asked by tournament officials to remove her flag, which she eventually did.
Petrenko dedicated the gesture to Serhiy Ambros, a physician in the Azov Regiment who was killed in combat in 2015. The gym where Petrenko trains is also named after Ambros.
Petrenko said,
“I wanted to pay tribute to Serhiy Ambros and the dead Ukrainian defenders. The organizers did not like my gesture. They asked me twice to hide the flag, but I didn’t want to do it.”
The Azov Regiment is one of the most popular volunteer units within the Ukrainian Armed Forces. It was formed in 2014 during the War in Donbass and saw action in the battle for Donetsk International Airport.
The unit is composed of volunteer soldiers, many of whom are Ukrainian nationalists. They often use problematic symbols such as the Wolfsangel and swastika, as well as have ties to the nationalist group Right Sector.
Petrenko is unlikely to be penalized further. Story developing.