There are plenty of neo-nazis fighting on the Russian side of the conflict. And it was Russia that invaded Ukraine in an unprovoked breach of all the previous agreements, international laws and common sense. Ukrainians have been fighting for their country. At least most of them. A few have been fighting "for the race". Don't get me wrong - when Putin is talking about the government of Ukraine being "fascist", he is lying. Yet things can change.
"Don't let executioner into your house". Social-Nationalist Assembly propaganda.
The Ukrainian volunteer Azov Battalion is staffed with the "Social-Nationalist Assembly (SNA)". Ukrainian ministry of Interior supplies their weaponry, which now includes heavy weapons. SNA's leaders had been biding their time in prison for attempted murders and robberies until a few months ago, when they were allowed to go free as "political prisoners of the Yanukovich regime".
As one would expect, they ain't too bright. Yet they are remarkably media savvy. Azov's leadership seems to dedicate some time every day to pose for photographs. They are regularly interviewed by western journalists. They are all over Ukrainian TV, filling the screens with stern facial expressions and handsome fatigues with SS insignia . They don't tend to talk about - and are never challenged - on their ideology.
This is how Andrey Beletzki, the commander of Azov and the "White leader" of SNA, sees his mission:
Ukrainians comprise a part (and one of the largest parts of the highest quality) of the White Race. The Race-Creator of the great civilization, of the most important human achievements. The historic mission of our nation in these crucial times is to take the lead of all White Peoples from all over the world and to take them on the last Crusade for our existence. The fight against untermenschen headed by the Semites.
If Beletzki is the muscle, Doctor Oleg Odnorozhenko is the brain of SNA. He is a PhD from a Kiev University AND a common criminal AND the deputy commander of Azov in one person. This is how Odnorozhenko defines SNA's platform:
The primary objective of the nationalist revolution is the complete elimination of all parasitic strata... all political institutions and democracy as a political system that serves the economic system of capitalism... All foreign ethno-racial groups will be restricted, controlled and subsequently deported to their homeland. We, Ukrainian Social-Nationalists, consider that only White European Man belongs to the human race species. This does not include the so-called "Southern Caucasians" - Mediterranian, Caucasian, Pamir-Fergana and other races, which are biologically different from our kind. We consider it our direct responsibility to prevent any interracial (inter-species) contacts... In this struggle our ally is solidarity from the White Aryan peoples from across the world.[Update: on September 10th SNA website was deleted. Biletzky &Co are preparing for elections. As luck would have it, World Wide Web never forgets].
And it's not like the boys and gals of Azov and SNA are shy of directly borrowing from their ideological ancestors. Their official Public Relations manager is one Anna Senik, calling herself "Ladna Kobieta". She is the face of Azov. Her pseudonym means "pretty girl" in Polish, which is ironic at more than one level.
A couple of years ago Anna was given a wonderful gift for her birthday. Very traditional. It was Mein Kampf. She was ever so happy... All her favourite quotes are by Goebbels and Hitler. She also regularly travels to Europe with exhibitions of her Ukrainian folk photography, which involves a lot of bright colours, Bandera-style uniforms and naked skin.
SNA PR manager Anna Senik (online nom de guerre Ladna Kobieta)
Anna's "art"
And then there is the more traditional neo-nazi "art" which comes to us courtesy of SNA...
If Ukrainian TV and social networks are to be believed, SNA is becoming more and more mainstream. Non-nazi websites are giving a good impression of worshipping "heroes" from the Azov battalion. What's more, SNA is now linked to Prime Minister's Yatzenyuk's "People's Front" and its leaders are running as PF's delegates to the Ukrainian Rada.
