In Ukraine, Ultra-Nationalists Are the 'Good Guys'
consortiumnews.com
Neo-Nazism's rise in Ukraine is due to the silent approval of Ukraine’s political and military elites who prefer to turn a blind eye because they rely on the far-right for their military potential, Ukrainian academic Marta Havryshko tells Natylie Baldwin. By Natylie Baldwin Special to Consor

Neo-Nazism’s rise in Ukraine is due to the silent approval of Ukraine’s political and military elites who prefer to turn a blind eye because they rely on the far-right for their military potential, Ukrainian academic Marta Havryshko tells Natylie Baldwin. By Natylie Baldwin Special to Consor

  • Wether@lemmy.ml
    96·
    3 days ago

    I’m surprised that this article doesn’t engage more with the current war. Given that Russia has been accusing Ukraine of being a ‘nazi state’ since day one, I’d be surprised if that hadn’t changed the level of support for this kind of politics. I can imagine how it could go either way: increasing because of the threat to Ukraine’s national identity, or decreasing to not prove the Russians right and to rally around Zelenskyy, who is overall a moderate. I do notice that all of the pictures in this article are from before the war. It’s also weird they don’t mention that Azov were more-or-less wiped out in the opening stages of the invasion at Mariupol.

      • Wether@lemmy.ml
        23·
        2 days ago

        The link you sent titles the video “Zelenskiy threatens to come for the children of Crimea”. What he says is that they’re going to retake the Crimea, and while the video starts mid-sentence he seems to be saying that children who have grown up in occupied Crimea have been exposed to Russian propaganda, which I’m sure is true. The International Criminal Court has been issuing arrest warrants for people involved in a Russian program to abduct Ukrainian children, FYI. So getting the minds of the next generation is demonstrable part of the Russian war strategy. In this clip, it seems like he’s responding to a direct question from a journalist. While I doubt Ukraine will ever retake Crimea (and tbh I think Russia has a pretty solid claim to it), I understand why he’s saying they’ll retake it, and none of this seems like strange thing for a wartime president to say. Overall this seems like a pretty clear case of disinformation promoted on an app run by a fascist.

        For the Azov point, you can just read the Wikipedia article on the Battle of Mariupol, or there’s a Kyiv Post piece here. It does seem that components of Azov have reformed but they’re far from what they were.

        • ☭ Blursty ☭@lemmygrad.ml
          2·
          2 days ago

          What he says is that they’re going to retake the Crimea

          Against the will of the people living there.

          saying that children who have grown up in occupied Crimea have been exposed to Russian propaganda

          They are Russian, they have chosen to be Russian. They are only exposed to their culture. They have no interest being part of a Nazi fascist dictatorship and neither do the other breakaway regions.

          The International Criminal Court has been issuing arrest warrants for people involved in a Russian program

          This is American propaganda. Russia temporarily moved orphans out of a warzone and has since moved them back. The International Colonial Court exists to prosecute the enemies of America and nothing more.

          none of this seems like strange thing for a wartime president to say. Overall

          If you agree that the Crimean people have a right to self determination then you not only see Zelensky as a wartime president, but an aggressor threatening an invasion too.

          For the Azov point, you can just read the Wikipedia article

          NATOpedia is not a serious source of information about anything political.

    • CarlMarks@lemmygrad.ml
      71·
      2 days ago

      UA has integrated neo-Nazis into the upper levels of their military and seem to make decisions based on their ideas. They have increased funding for groups like Azov, who have been running little Hitler Youth camps for years, and have recently integrated them into a larger and more powerful Nazi force.