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Someone beyond me makes sense of the Ukrainian nazism propaganda.
"Many have remarked on the hollowness of Russia's "de-nazification" narrative and assume that it's some recent piece of disinformation cooked up for the purpose of this present conflict. The history is more complex, and frankly, delicate. I'll attempt to explain here briefly.
During World War II, some Ukrainians sympathized with Hitler because they either admired fascism, hated Russia, or both. They coalesced into an organization called the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN). That group had two factions, the OUN-M led by Andrew Melnyk, and the OUN-B, led by Stepan Bandera. OUN-B was much more extremist, and aligned with the Nazis.
In 1941 Yaroslav Stetsko and OUN-B led a massacre of Jews in Lviv (or Lwow, to reflect its then-Polish status), and proclaimed himself premier of a new short-lived Ukrainian government, with allegiance to the Nazis. After the war, the OUN-B remained aligned with various anti-communist factions around the world and collaborated with the ABBN (anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations), the WACL (World Anti-Communist League), and the Asian People's Anti-Communist League.
The Korean CIA, Moonies, and Taiwanese nationalists, allied with these European factions to fight communism; they persisted throughout the Cold War and Reagan endorsed the OUN-B, going so far as to appoint its affiliates to key positions in/near his administration. But as alarming as that sounds, the OUN-B was a small faction of rabid fascist nationalists and not representative of the broader coalition of pro-democracy factions that emerged in Ukraine after 1991.
But the OUN-B hated one thing even more than communists: Russian imperialism.
Since Putin's rise to power, he has resented this small OUN-B faction because it historically resisted Russia's imperial advances. No longer important politically in Ukraine, today's far-right parties struggle to gain more than about 2.3% of the vote.
By contrast, Germany's far-right AfD party has attracted around 10% of the vote, more recently. So which country has more of a Nazi problem? Thankfully, far right parties are failing to gain much support anywhere in Europe today.
The fact that Zelensky is himself Jewish makes claims of "denazification" by Russia seem all the more ludicrous; but it makes more sense (kinda) when you understand this backstory about the OUN-B.
In 2014, when Putin illegally invaded Ukraine for the first time they also invoked this "Ukrainian nazis" narrative and it was as stupid then as it is now. But Putin is trying to exploit this odd bit of history, and the revulsion towards 20th century naziism as a propaganda device for his military and domestic audience.
I hope this makes more sense now and will help people debunk Russia's lies more effectively. Primary source for this was Russ Bellant's "Old Nazis, The New Right, and the Republican Party" (1988) pp. 69-73. The book is worth the read, especially right now. Thanks."

[haaretz.com]

UrsiMajor 8 Mar 27
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Thanks. Great summary. Per Wiki: "(The) Azov Battalion (until September 2014), is a neo-Nazi former paramilitary group that is now a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, (and) based in Mariupol, in the Azov Sea coastal region. Azov formed as a volunteer militia in May 2014, and has since been fighting Russian separatist forces in the Donbas War. It first saw combat recapturing Mariupol from pro-Russian separatists in June 2014. It initially operated as a volunteer police company, until it was formally incorporated into the National Guard on 11 November 2014. In March 2022, the battalion gained renewed attention during the Siege of Mariupol for its role in the defense of the city. "

[en.wikipedia.org]

Thus, this deputized militia has been effective in countering Putin's ambitions for some years now. Their presence in Mariupol may also explain why Mariupol has been leveled. As Putin seeks to take control of the Donbas region, the Azov militias are fighting on the front lines to stop him. Both parties hold degenerate values, but the Azov is a minority in Ukraine.

It's notable to recall how the US supported Saddam Hussein in his war with Iran. Losses on either side being viewed as not regrettable.

The US even gave tactical information to Hussein knowing that the information would be used to target Iranian forces with chemical weapons. Regarding use of chemical weapons, the US hands are already dirty. We now see the consequences.

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If Putin is looking for Nazis, he should start by taking a look at his mirror.

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We've seen plenty documentaries over the years about this in South Africa. I saw a recent one about 8 months ago where they actually salute HH. I just cannot remember the title or the journalist. Here's one 3yrs ago by a BBC journalist.

Scary look at the far right inside of the Ukraine.

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It's Putin's SOP lie lie deny there are no Nazis in their government unlike Putin

bobwjr Level 10 Mar 27, 2022
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