Azov Battalion leader : ” We in the Azov Regiment, are the military servicemen of Ukraine, of various nationalities. There are Jews among us, Greeks among us, Belarusians, Gagauz people; these are all Ukrainian citizens. We don’t have hired guns among us. We have different faiths and religions. We are multi-national. So this Russian propaganda is working against us.”
So, who is this guy Stephan Bandera, that is so idolized by them ? During WW II, Ukraine was trying to become independent from Russia. A lot of Ukranians, particularly in Western Ukraine, collaborated with the Germans, with the goal of obtaining independence from Russia. They thought Germany will give them back their territory. Yes, Ukrainians did participate in the Holocaust, but the leader of the Ukranian Nationalists, Stepan Bandera, stood up to Russia. ”Once Bandera started collaborating with the Germans, suddenly, Bandera inflicted a surprise on them. He declared independence. His group declared Ukraine independent in 1941. The Germans then arrest Bandera. He’s under arrest for much of the war. So the massacres that his group carries out happen while he’s in jail.”
This is how Bandera became a National Hero, because he declared independence from Russia, which didn’t last too long when the war ended. Ukraine found itself back under the thumb of Russia, until becoming independent again in 1991, when the Soviet Union fell apart.
So, the Azov Battalion ”really gets going in 2014 to come fight the Russians,” who just annexed Crimea. It recruits neo-Nazi’s from all over Europe, so it was formed as a neo-Nazi battalion on its own. Then in 2015, the Azov’s are annexed into the Ukranian army as a separate battalion.-FT.com 5/19/22.
Conclusion: When Zelensky is elected in 2019, the neo-Nazi’s get zero seats in the parliament. So he enters the political stage when neo-Nazi’s are basically not a force in national politics.” FT.com 5/19/22. By 2022, the neo-Nazi influence in the Azov battalion and national politics, had become very diluted. Russia had a real dilemma, trying to sell their false Nazi narrative, with a Jewish President, who also spoke Russian./ Done
Excellent. That explained a lot to me good writing!