text: The first thing you notice as you walk through the corridors of the Azov battalion's base in Mariupol are the swastikas.
  
  There are many — painted on doors, adorning the walls and chalked onto the blackboards of this former school, now temporary headquarters for the Azov troops.
  
  It is a confronting sight and when I query the young soldier assigned to show me around he is quick to correct me, pointing out that the symbol is in fact a "modified swastika" — more like the letter N crossed with a straight line.
  
  When I point to another symbol of the Third Reich etched on the wall, that of Hitler's "SS", he simply shrugs and says: "We are nationalists, but we are not Nazis."
  
  The Azov battalion is a highly controversial Ukrainian paramilitary group that has drawn much criticism for its links to the far right.
  
  The imagery it has chosen to adopt hardly helps to allay concerns, but for my young guide it is a non-issue.
  
  "Some journalists prefer to present us as Nazis. They look for any chance to discredit our regiment," he said.
  
  Azov volunteer Dancer joined the battalion last year shortly after the armed conflict began in eastern Ukraine. ( Vladimir Cheppel )
  
  After last month's rebel defeat of Ukrainian forces at Debaltseve in the north, attention has switched to the port city of Mariupol, less than 60 kilometres from the Russian border, which most believe is next in the separatists' sights.
  
  I have been invited to tour the Azov base where new recruits are in training, preparing to defend the city from an attack which most here are predicting will come before the end of the Ukrainian spring.
  
  Like pro-Russian rebels, Ukrainian soldiers rarely provide their real names when talking to journalists, using platoon nicknames instead.
  
  The 22-year-old, 6-foot 2-inch bearded soldier showing me around is called Dancer.
  
  A roads engineer graduate from Luhansk, Dancer joined the Azov battalion last year shortly after the armed conflict began in eastern Ukraine, attracted by the militia group's long-term goals.
  
  "Our battalion is comprised of conscious people who have a much higher purpose than just winning the war," he said.
  
  "We want to build a new independent and sovereign Ukraine. That's what makes us different from other military units."
  
  The Azov battalion is a volunteer military brigade that was formed last year in Mariupol, named after the sea on which the city is located.
  
  The Oath of Azov on a wall at Mariupol headquarters. ( Vladimir Cheppel )
  
  It is closely linked to the Social-National Assembly, an umbrella organisation to a collection of ultra-nationalist and neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine, and many of Azov's recruits are drawn by its perceived far right-wing ideology.
  
  Currently under the auspices of Ukraine's interior ministry, there are deep concerns that arming right-wing paramilitary groups like Azov might backfire and present a future threat to the government, but Dancer says the fears are unfounded.
  
  "The battalion operates as a professional military unit," he said.
  
  "The commanders listen to you while you listen to your subordinates, and all the daily and military questions are solved in a democratic way.
  
  "There is no violence against younger conscripts in Azov, no stupid orders and notations."
  
  Azov volunteers fight alongside regular Ukrainian forces and were amongst the earliest to see action in the conflict last year and its troops have a fearless reputation.
  
  "I wanted to join a battalion that would be on the frontline and participate in real action," Dancer said.
  
  "I wanted to prove myself in combat and help Ukraine. That's why I joined Azov."
  
  Dancer had his last "brush with the enemy" less than a month ago on the eastern outskirts of Mariupol, near the village of Shyrokine, when his unit came under attack by rebel forces who he claims were mostly Russian.
  
  "I was deployed as a spotter and I saw Russian military equipment with Russian flags and Russian car tags through my binoculars," he said.
  
  "There were T-72 tanks, Russian armoured vehicles and Russian troops.
  
  "They were real professionals, not volunteers. Regular volunteers can't fight like that."
  
  The Russian government has continued to deny that its troops or weapons are being sent over the border to bolster the rebel forces in eastern Ukraine.
  
  Dancer says that while the Ukrainian military is largely holding its own, their weapons are vastly inferior and he hopes the US will soon agree to supply the hardware they need.
  
  "We have people who could end the war, all we are missing are weapons," he said.
  
  "If we had American Javelins, for example, we could easily destroy the enemy's tanks."
  
  Dancer says the Ukrainian military is largely holding its own despite its inferior weaponry. ( Vladimir Cheppel )
  
  Achtung: Russian fighting his countrymen
  
  As dusk approaches, Dancer leads me outside to watch the new recruits training as they simulate a sweep through a village.
  
  He introduces me to another soldier nicknamed Achtung — a 23-year-old softly spoken Russian man from Moscow, who said he decided to fight for the Ukraine against his own government.
  
  "I consider myself a true Russian nationalist, but I could not stand by and watch the Russian security service divide our fraternal neighbour," he said.
  
  "So I came to Ukraine last August and went directly to the Azov battalion headquarters to sign up."
  
  Considered a traitor back home, Achtung said his motives were purely ideological.
  
  "People here are patriots, nationalists who are very close to me ideologically and in spirit," he said.
  
  "I feel really comfortable here, as if I am home with my family."
  
  Azov battalion soldier Achtung is considered a traitor in his home country of Russia. ( Nicholas Lazaredes )
  
  Achtung considers himself as a new generation soldier, fighting the war on two fronts — both as an active combatant and through social media, writing about his experiences on blog sites aimed at young Russians.
  
  "I publish photos and news from the frontline and Azov's role in this war," he said.
  
  "All of my Russian friends see this and most express their support, but there are some who are completely sold on Putin."
  
  Achtung has also seen plenty of action in this bitter conflict which has claimed more than 6,000 lives, and recently took part in an operation where a Russian soldier was captured.
  
  "The prisoner kept yelling at me 'you are a Ukrainian fascist!'," he said.
  
  "So I told him — buddy, I am from Russia. From Moscow."
  
  Achtung chuckles: "He was speechless, in shock."
  
  Achtung admits he has far-right leanings, expressing sympathy with Ukrainian neo-Nazi groups.
  
  He said the choice for him on deserting Russia to take up arms against his own countrymen was clear.
  
  "The Russian media talk constantly about Russophobia in Ukraine, so Russians go to war to fight for their country, but in fact they are fighting only for the personal interest of Putin," he said.
  
  "Whereas Ukrainian soldiers defend and protect, not attack.
  
  "They are defending their motherland — not fighting for some Tsar."
  
  Natalya: Azov's unofficial poster girl
  
  We are joined by a friendly young woman in uniform who introduces herself as the Azov battalion's media officer.
  
  Natalya is 28 and turned her back on a blossoming career as a TV reporter in western Ukraine to join the Azov battalion on the frontline.
  
  Her good looks and constant smiles have proven a hit with foreign journalists.
  
  Natalya was recently named in the list of the top five most beautiful women in the Ukrainian military and has become the Azov's unofficial poster girl.
  
  She said the transition was not easy.
  
  "Honestly it was quite hard for me at first — the guys just didn't really perceive me as a part of the regiment," she said.
  
  "But when they saw that I do my job as well as them, they treated me as an equal."
  
  Natalya said "the guys" in the Azov battalion initially did not treat her as an equal. ( Nicholas Lazaredes )
  
  There are said to be thousands of young female volunteers in the Ukrainian military, and Natalya says they are not given preferential treatment.
  
  "On New Year's Eve I was sent to a road block when it was -20 degrees Celsius," she said.
  
  This road block was called "The Freezer" because the wind there blows from every side. It is the coldest spot in Mariupol.
  
  She laughs as she recalls the night's hostilities.
  
  Map of Mariupol in Ukraine ( Wikipedia )
  
  "We knew the separatists would be drinking hard and firing their mortars, but they were so drunk they were missing constantly and firing into the void," she said.
  
  She smiles and says: "It was my coolest New Year ever!"
  
  Natalya is quick to defend the integrity of the right-wing Azov brigade.
  
  "Russians think that we and the right sector are the scariest people in Ukraine," she said.
  
  "But most of our fighters know foreign languages, have a higher education, are intelligent and extremely literate."
  
  Like other Azov soldiers, Natalya is driven by her desire to protect the Ukrainian motherland but admits that the family and friends she left behind in her home city of Ivano-Frankivsk are worried for her safety.
  
  "My older sister was really shocked when I left and demanded that I come back," she said.
  
  "I had to lie to her for some time, but now she says that she's really proud of me, and so are my friends."
  
  Fallen comrades remembered
  
  Dancer has lost seven friends since the fighting began. ( Vladimir Cheppel )
  
  Inside the battalion's briefing room, Dancer shows me a small shrine dedicated to the Azov's fallen comrades.
  
  Already battle weary, Dancer has seen plenty of action on the front lines of this conflict and has lost seven mates since the fighting began.
  
  Champion was killed when a mortar shell hit his car. ( Vladimir Cheppel )
  
  Three of them — Champion, Homer and Kozak — were close friends.
  
  He points to their photos on the wall, adorned with spent bullet casings.
  
  "Champion was my fellow townsman from Luhansk," he said.
  
  "He was the kindest, most honest and sympathetic man in this battalion. He was a true example for others to imitate.
  
  "He drove onto the battlefield to rescue our injured fighters and died when a 120mm tank shell hit his car. It was a quick death.
  
  "Homer threw himself on a grenade to save other soldiers from the blast shrapnel.
  
  "Kozak also died saving a mate. He was bandaging his friend who had been wounded when the grenade landed nearby. His femoral artery was cut and he died of blood loss."
  
  Dancer pauses and adds wistfully: "They are heroes of the Ukraine and we must never forget them."
  
  Nick Lazaredes is a former video journalist and international correspondent for SBS Television who has reported from more than 75 countries, and is currently in Kiev.