"Azov 9/11" Ukrainian Blowback
Nov 30, 2025
On Wednesday, an Afghan national shot two members of the West Virginia National Guard in Washington, D.C., killing one. Preliminary reporting suggests this Afghan, who was living legally in the US after having his asylum request granted in April, was a member of a “Zero Unit,” a type of special forces unit trained and armed by US forces in Afghanistan to conduct irregular warfare. Zero Units worked closely with American special forces and intelligence agencies during the war and have been characterized as a type of death squad.
This event was wholly unsurprising to a certain type of historically aware observer. Whether characterized as “blowback” or something more sinister and deliberate, it represents just another entry in a lengthy legacy of former proxy forces committing acts of terrorism, assassinations, organized gang activity, and random violence on American and European soil after the conclusion of their proxy conflict.
The projection of this legacy into the future with reference to the war in Ukraine is referred to with the tongue-in-cheek moniker “Azov 9/11.” Without historical context, this concept is likely incomprehensible. But when placed within a broader analysis, a clear pattern emerges. In this piece, we’ll establish the case for the enormous danger posed by a postwar Ukrainian proxy force, both as a tool of nefarious state actors and as an organized political entity with its own agenda. First, we’ll establish the historical precedent by tracing the activities of former proxy forces in America and Europe before arguing that Ukraine War veterans are likely to present the most dangerous form of this phenomenon to date.
"Azov 9/11" - Amerikanets
Not unlike the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016 when Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 58 more. The family emigrated from Afghanistan as his father as part of a program to protect Afghan special forces units who would face reprisals by the Taliban after the US withdrew its forces. In the states, his father also served as an FBI informant for 11 years. |
