Relevant due to the Canadian monument that was recently defaced. Image via RadicalGraffiti@todon.eu.
This is a plea not to whitewash Ukraine’s nazi past or minimize the fascist presence in its forces, but to defend its people from fascism and imperialism. Anarchists and Communists are fighting for the Ukrainian people against Russia, and are calling for solidarity.
That’s the point especially people in Ukraine don’t seem to get.
Nobody gives a fuck about right-wing radicals or neo-nazis existing in Ukraine because they (like every group of idiots) exist everywhere to some degree. Giving their extreme situation, we can also somewhat live with them being used for a cause back when they were a vital part of fighting Russians at a time when the official army wasn’t up to the task yet.
But only IF we feel that they acknowledge the issue and are able to handle them when they become a problem. And categorically denying everything and denouncing every question as Russian propaganda is doing the exact opposite. And it’s actually fuelling the narratives they try to work against.
Or to paraphrase a particularly extreme example of Ukrainian¹: “Neither do neo-nazis (or any other right-wing radicals) exist in Ukraine nor have they ever existed there in history. All evidence saying otherwise is fabricate by or for Russia.” That comment alone has probably done more good for Russian propaganda than a hundred of Russian bullshit stories. As we know history and he was either lying to our faces or insane.
¹Ukraine’s ambassador to Germany in 2015