marichka
アゾフちゃん azovchan azov-chan maria_(mariverse)
Marichka (more commonly known as Azov-chan) is a female character designed as the anthropomorphic representation of the Azov Battalion, first appearing in late 2021 amidst rising tensions, and went viral following the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Her real name is "Maria".
Following the war, several characters were created in her wake, representing various Azov-friendly factions within Ukraine and its army, broadly lumped together into the 'Mariverse'. These characters include Kraken, Eva, Nika, Olesya, Zoriana, Paulinka, Lera, Stepan, Levchenko Ahapiia Oleksandrivna, Khrystyna Karpenko, Olena Bozhuk, Myroslava Bozhuk, Kupalinka, Cossack, Emilia Plyaterska, Hanna Kovalchuk, Shefika, and Kenneth del Duca.
The community which has developed around the 'Mariverse' has taken strides to disassociate Marichka from her Azov(-adjacent) roots (ex. rendering her tattoo into the more neutral Iron Cross), though due to the character's ultimate roots it paints the characters surrounding her as Azov-friendly themselves.