In a statement on Telegram, the Russian Embassy to the US said the United States feared crimes committed by Ukraine's Azov nationalistic regiment will be made public. 

Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) leader Denis Pushilin said the DPR authorities would not delay the international tribunal for war criminals in the republic, adding that the DPR Foreign Ministry is working to invite the international community to take part in the tribunal - which will be held in Mariupol. 

"We have taken note of another groundless accusation against our country related to the Tribunal over Ukrainian war criminals. The upcoming trial is aimed at bringing war criminals to justice, among which there are Nazis from the Azov Regiment. Washington is clearly afraid of making public the evidence of the inhumane acts committed by the members of this terrorist organization," the Embassy said.

The Embassy stressed that Russia is fully committed to the Geneva Convention and guarantees proper conditions to Ukrainian prisoners of war, stating, "The International Tribunal in Mariupol can shed light on the true essence of the Kiev regime, of which the United States diligently creates a bright and heroic image. American citizens will finally learn that in reality, their government is helping those who purposefully kill and torture the Russian people of Donbass and Ukraine."

The Azov Battalion is a funded volunteer military unit, and after the Ukrainian authorities' decision to ban illegal armed formations, the volunteer battalions were offered to join the units of the Ministry of Defense. It is reported that many of the soldiers and officers of these units are members of the Ukrainian far-right groups who openly adopt neo-Nazi views.