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.That the extent of it. The rest of the article is about the patriotic defenders of Ukraine against alleged Russian aggression.
What this means is that the neo-Nazi penetration is no longer possible to conceal, so it has be to be admitted and then explained away.
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.For all the supposed Russian soldiers and equipment, still no pictures.
"They were real professionals, not volunteers. Regular volunteers can't fight like that."
Australian Broadcasting Company
Ukraine crisis: Inside the Mariupol base of the controversial Azov battalion
Nicholas Lazaredes in Ukraine
