Who are the Azov Battalion? They’re far-right assholes. And also: patriots.

You have clearly not been looking at your history well. Let me explain what happened:

In 2014, Crimea voted in a referendum of independence. As a result, they became an independent country. However, on that same day, they did another referendum. This time, it was to join Russia, and they also voted 'yes'. As a result, Russia annexed Crimea. You mentioned 'Russia's prior aggression in 2014', but there was no aggression. If you do research, you'll find that Ukraine caused violence first.

You also said that the influence of the Azov Battalion is over-exaggerated. While the battalion alone may not have a too big influence, there are plenty of other fascist groups in Ukraine. For example, there is a political party called 'Svoboda' (Freedom), which is a neo-Nazi political party which is active in the Ukrainian parliament.

You also brought up an analogy of Russia invading Alaska. This would not be accurate though, as
1- Alaska was not fighting the US government prior to that happening, which happened in Donbass
2- Russia supposedly invaded unprovoked
In the real Donbass, the Ukrainian government has been fighting the people in those 2 oblasts long before the invasion. Also, Donetsk and Luhansk themselves asked Russia to help them against Ukraine. At first, Russia didn't want to. But they were faced with 2 choices: either cause disorder in the Western world, or watch as ethnic Russians are slaughtered. Putin decided to go with the first, for the sake of ethnic Russians.

Now, you also talked about an extremist far-right group arising in your Alaska analogy. True, they may be patriots and have intense hate for Russia, but they are still Nazis. I doubt that anyone in their right mind would show support for Nazis, even if they are ultra-patriotic.

Going back to the historical section: after the annexation of Crimea, the Ukrainian government had more hatred for Russia than before. They sent secret police (which, may I remind you, the Nazis used) against Russians. They have a radical group called the Banderites, which are hell-bent on exterminating ethnic minorities in Ukraine. You may have heard of the Trade Unions House Massacre in Odessa of 2014. Banderite groups attacked ethnic Russians and massacred almost 50 of them. They next tuned to Donbass, and attacked civilian areas. And a few days before the Russian invasion, Ukraine greatly increased its attacks on Donbass. They escalated, wanting to end all Russians in that area. These acts have led Russia to invade.

And after the start of the SMO, there were several pro-Russian protesters in Kiev. Where are they now? They all disappeared, victims of Zelensky's fascist regime.

I just want you to recognize that firstly, Ukraine was the real aggressor. And secondly, fascism is in fact in Ukraine, and very abundant. Azov might be one form or group of it, but there are several others. Also take a look at the CIA coup. They caused two revolutions and put a fascist puppet government in place.