The Nazi influence on modern-day Ukrainian politics is clear, tangible, and willfully ignored by its Western supporters

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”.

Historical myths in school and the Hitler Youth

Educating children in the spirit of Ukrainian Nazism begins in school. In particular, a history textbook written by Mykola Galichants directly refers to the ‘Aryan origin’ of the Ukrainian nation, whose existence he traces directly back to the Paleolithic era. This textbook was published in 2005.

All references to the ‘Second World War’ have completely disappeared from Ukrainian textbooks. In the exam topics for 2020, only a certain ‘Soviet-German War’ is mentioned and any reference to Hitler, Bandera, the Holocaust, etc. is diligently avoided. However, there are some exceptions. One version of a 5th-grade textbook notes that on April 1, 1939, Hitler allegedly stated: “The soul hurts when we see the suffering of the noble Ukrainian people… The time has come to create a common Ukrainian state.” Some textbooks express pride that Ukrainian youths defended German cities from bombing attacks, while others declare that the regimes of Hitler and Stalin were equally hostile to Ukrainians.

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But what the schools don’t teach is made up for by Ukrainian neo-Nazi organizations that are active all over the country. The most common are the Azovets military camps organized by the Azov Battalion, where children from the age of 7 are taught to engage in war and sabotage. The entire training system is littered with Nazi symbols and slogans. In particular, the Ukrainian chant ‘Ukraine above all’ is directly derived from ‘Deutschland über alles’.

While Ukrainian nationalists played an important role in the change of power during the Euromaidan in 2013-2014, the education of young people in the Nazi spirit began way before 2014. For example, in 2006, terrorist and sabotage training were conducted in Estonia under the guidance of curators from NATO countries. In 2013, the UNA-UNSO also reported that they had conducted these exercises. The latter organization is one of the oldest, and its members took part in the wars against the Russian army in Georgia and Chechnya. The training of militants and the Patriot of Ukraine organization are widely known, and these processes are supported at the highest state level. For example, a neo-Nazi camp organized by the Stepan Bandera All-Ukrainian Tryzub organization was honored by the presence of Valentin Nalivaichenko, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service.

Full article at: INTERNATIONALIST 360°

Background image via AFP, modified by me.