The truth about nazis in Ukraine
Are there Nazis in Ukraine?
Published
08.04.2024
There is no noticeable or influential Nazi organization in Ukraine, and Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy is a Jew. All stories describing Ukraine as a Nazi state are made exclusively with the aim of justifying Russia’s invasion.
There are no influential or noticeable Nazi parties or organizations in Ukraine. The far-right movements have always been taken as marginal in Ukrainian society.
The only time in the history of Ukraine that a relatively right-wing party, which some consider to be right-wing radical, called All-Ukrainian Association “Svoboda” entered its parliament. In 2012, in the extraordinary parliamentary elections, it received 10% of the votes and 37 deputy mandates. For a correct understanding of this fact, it is necessary to remember the context of those years: Ukrainians were looking for such forces that could oppose the pro-Russian parties and movements that were very active at that time.
Since the beginning of the war, Putin has been justifying it as a fight against an alleged neo-Nazi government in Ukraine. Having heard that, such worldwide respected scholars of World War II, the Holocaust, genocide and the Nazism as Jared McBride, Francine Hirsch, Timothy Snyder, and others, published a statement in the Jewish Journal weekly. They came together “to protest the use of this false and destructive narrative” about the alleged Nazism in Ukraine. More than 300 historians have signed this statement.
The President of Ukraine is a Ukrainian Jew. Volodymyr Zelenskyy won the presidential election in 2019. None of the far-right parties overcame a 5% threshold in the parliamentary elections and none of them are represented in the parliament today.
The story about the Nazism in Ukraine has always been a myth created by Russian propaganda. Russia is associating Ukrainians and the Nazi, trying to revive memories about World War II. However, this is made via the demonization of the ordinary Ukrainian patriotism and desire to save our own identity. The idea of “denazification” of Ukraine by Russia is perceived as a de-Ukrainization attempt. Well-known politicians, including Olaf Scholz and António Guterres, objected to the accusations against Ukraine of being a Nazi state and reaffirmed the absence of any reasons for voicing such allegations. The Holocaust memorials, Ukrainian Jewish organizations and Jewish communities in Ukraine have spoken out against Russia’s accusations against Ukraine.
Even the former leader of the Wagner Private Military Company, who had personally participated in the hostilities in Ukraine, did not confirm any signs of the Nazism in Ukraine. He said he was “not sure about the denazification goal as long as saw no Nazis in Ukraine.”
Is it true that the Azov Regiment fighters are “neo-Nazis”?
Published
16.04.2024
The myth about “neo-Nazis” in the Azov Regiment is actively spread by Russian propaganda. The Azov fighters made an important contribution to the defense of the country and the achievements of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the most difficult frontiers. That is why Russian propaganda created this story to discredit the servicemen.
Azov is a military unit of the National Guard of Ukraine which was established in 2014. It always was and is controlled by the Government of Ukraine. In the entire history of Azov’s existence, there is no proven situation of its fighters’ disobedience or sabotage against the orders of the General Staff. Instead, they were engaged in the de-occupation of Mariupol in 2014 and fierce fighting in the vicinity of Ilovaisk. In 2015, they liberated five settlements to the east from Mariupol. And in 2022, they heroically defended Mariupol at the Azovstal along with the Marines, police, National Guard soldiers, border guards, and other units.
Azov’s diversity proves the absence of xenophobia and racism among its fighters. During the history of Azov, representatives of various ethnicities, nationalities, and religions have been serving in it: Georgians, Armenians, Jews, Russians, Belarusians, Crimean Tatars, Greeks. One of the most well-known Azov fighters of Jewish descent is Ruslan Serbov, call sign “David.” In November 2022, he went to Israel for rehabilitation after a foot amputation sustained as a result of being wounded in the battle for Mariupol. Another Azov fighter, Michael, an ethnic Greek, in 2022 called on the Parliament of Greece to support Ukraine and the defenders of Mariupol. As of March 2024, he is still in Russian captivity.
A famous Russian political scientist, Vyacheslav Likhachev, affirmed that any attempts to introduce Azov as a neo-Nazi group are a groundless manipulation. He said that Azov “commanders and fighters might have personal political views as individuals, but as an armed police unit Azov is a part of the system of the Ukrainian defense forces.”
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