Participants of the traditional annual torchlight procession on the occasion of Stepan Bandera’s birthday, the Ukrainian Hitler, in the center of Kiev. © Sputnik / Stringer
The Nazi influence on modern-day Ukrainian politics is clear, tangible, and willfully ignored by its Western supporters
A symbol of Azov volunteer battalion is tattooed on a battalion officer’s neck as he talks to his soldiers in Kiev, Ukraine. The battalion’s symbol is reminiscent of the Nazi Wolfsangel. © AP / Efrem Lukatsky
A cursory look at the documents regarding the foundation of the Ukrainian state would make it appear quite European and democratic, which is exactly the reason why many might have dismissed Vladimir Putin’s talk about neo-Nazis in Ukraine as rhetoric and propaganda. The truth, however, is much more complicated and cannot be summarized by saying “Ukrainian president is Jewish, and thus all allegations are untrue”.
Each of these organizations has its ideological roots in the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists from the World War 2 era. Tryzub was founded by Yaroslava Stetsko, the wife of the author of the Ukrainian Statehood Renewal Act and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament. Yuri Shukhevich, the son of Roman Shukhevich, the notorious Ukrainian Insurgent Army commander and deputy commander of the Nachtigall Battalion, headed up the Ukrainian National Assembly – Ukrainian People’s Self-Defense. He was also an MP.
The “respectable” nationalists from the Svoboda party chose the name Social-National Party (sound familiar?) when it was founded in 1991. The radical Patriot of Ukraine group came from this party, and, in the beginning, its head was Andriy Parubiy, ex-Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.
Members of the ‘Patriot of Ukraine’ stand guard at the event of the ‘Right Sector’, Kiev, 2014. © Wikipedia
Tell me who your heroes are, and I will tell you who you are
One historical figure who has emerged as a hero in post-Maidan Ukraine is Stepan Bandera, a leader and ideologist of the militant wing of the far-right Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). Today, there are streets named after him, people sing songs in his honor and carry his portrait.
Continue reading “Under the Fascist Banner: The terrible truth about nazi ideology in Ukraine”
