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Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Understanding Ukrainian Nazism. The neo-Nazi element is a fundamental point of post-2014 Ukraine. The Maidan coup was openly supported and financed by NATO.
2022-03-14
Excerpt from Monthly Review’s About, confirming what you’ll have grasped after reading the first few sentences: MR Online, a forum for collaboration and communication between radical activists, writers, and scholars around the world...
[MROnline] In the West, media outlets are claiming that Russia’s agenda to "denazify" Ukraine is unfounded. At the same time, public opinion in Western countries is totally alienated from the Ukrainian reality, tending to believe only what is reported by the hegemonic media. The result of this is strong disapproval of the Russian attitude based on the lie that there is no trace of Nazism in contemporary Ukraine.
We didn’t make that argument, only that it is no more definitive in the Ukraine than in contemporary Russia.
In this sense, it is urgent that quality information be disseminated to the Western audience to avoid the proliferation of lies about the Ukrainian reality.
Quality information is our raison d’être here at Rantburg. Or laughably bad information, on which to sharpen our wits — that, too has its place.
On almost every TV channel and newspaper in the West, Ukrainian Nazism is questioned with the worst possible arguments: Zelensky is Jewish,
...check....
and the Ukrainian state is democratic.
I don’t recall that one here. Anyway, it’s easily countered by the fact that Hitler was elected as well. So was President Putin, come to think of it.
This kind of superficial thinking
Hurrah! I’m superficial!
prevents a detailed analysis of the catastrophic situation in Kiev since the Maidan, when, through a coup d’état, an anti-Russian junta took power and institutionalized a racist and anti-Russian ideology, which remains until the current days.
The repetition suggests it’s the anti-Russian part that bothers the editorialist.
When we talk about "Ukrainian Nazism" we are not saying that Kiev is a contemporary copy of Hitler’s Berlin,
Whew! Except that some of our simpler Russian trolls kept trying exactly that...
but that the neo-Nazi element is a fundamental point of post-2014 Ukraine. The Maidan coup was openly supported and financed by NATO as a way of undermining any Russian influence in Moscow’s own strategic environment. The aim was to make Ukraine a puppet state, commanded from Washington, ending any link with Russia. There was not only the objective to annihilate political, economic, and diplomatic relations between Kiev and Moscow, but also to eliminate cultural, ethnic, religious, and linguistic ties between both nations.
I’m confused. We’re going to give them a new language and make them all Catholics?
Since then, anti-Russian plans have been implemented. Ethnic Russians have been persecuted for the past eight years—even through systematic extermination in some regions. The Russian language has been criminalized in entire cities where the population does not speak Ukrainian. Schisms in the Orthodox Church have been supported to form a Ukrainian "national church" out of the Moscow Patriarchate. But the question remains: how has this been possible if Ukrainians and Russians are such close peoples? Many Ukrainians speak Russian and marry ethnic Russians, in addition to the fact that most of the country’s population follows the Orthodox Church. So how was it possible to initiate such a successful racist policy?
Holodomor. Holodomor. Holodomor. Some people hold grudges over attempted genocide, my dear editorialist. Others dislike iron curtains.
The rest can be read — without commentary — at the link, for those interested.
Posted by:Omomolet Phutch9064

#45  How does one get a job like Nuland's? That broad has been around forever. And since she's had a job in administrations of both parties, well, no comment.
Posted by: DooDahMan   2022-03-14 22:17  

#44   n Shabbos (the Jewish Sabbath)

Shábbos is merely the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew word shabbát (brought into English as sabbath), Simon Wiesenthal Center. Unlike the Sephardi Jews of Spain and North Africa, and the Mizrahi Jews of the Middle East, who historically emphasized memorization and oral recitation of the Old Testament and the Commentaries (Talmud, Mishnah, etc), with further emphasis on purity of pronunciation, the Ashkenazi Jews of Europe west of Spain emphasized the written word; and so the pronunciation drifted, many ah sounds becoming oh, many words with a final T being pronounced with an S instead, and the emphasized syllable at the beginning of the word instead of the end. This is why the Hebrew of Israel hews to the Mizrahi standard of the original Jewish inhabitants in the land, not the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the first few waves of returnees from Europe.
Posted by: trailing wife   2022-03-14 22:14  

#43  'ow was I supposed to know you was a Mason?
Posted by: Brother Carnahan   2022-03-14 19:22  

#42  Apologies, pal. I'm all sleep-drunk and disorderly today.
Posted by: Ebbaque Bourbon1193   2022-03-14 19:20  

#41  Heh. As in "Blechtrommel," a red and white drum beaten furiously down the centuries by Russian autocrats and their occasional German counterparts.
Posted by: Ebbaque Bourbon1193   2022-03-14 19:17  

#40  Cover the cooker's knobs*
(And for some, the dials)**

INSTA-LIMERICK [select WHERE=rhyme]
*jobs, slobs, throbs, snobs, cobs, hijabs, nabobs, thingamabobs
**smiles, styles, guiles, wiles, piles, denials, Beliles, crocodiles
Posted by: Thor Prince of the Welsh5181   2022-03-14 19:14  

#39  Shame, because her smile was a sunbeam through the clouds. A two-hour closeup of that, Warhol style, might just get me into a theater.
Posted by: Ebbaque Bourbon1193   2022-03-14 19:11  

#38  blech (from the Yiddish word בלעך (blekh) meaning "tin" or "sheet metal") is a metal sheet used by many observant Jews to cover stovetop burners (and for some, the cooker's knobs and dials) on Shabbos (the Jewish Sabbath), as part of the precautions taken to avoid violating the halachic prohibition against cooking on the Sabbath
Posted by: Simon Wiesenthal Center   2022-03-14 19:03  

#37  Hey, I seen this movie... just last night, actually. Bleh.

One brilliant commander, ex-Lex;
His gunner and loader, two zeks;
His everyday striver,
A drivin' MacGiver...
They always escape
As they rollick and... traipse
Through the Reich in a series of wrecks!

Oops. Forgot the translator, cook, and bottle-washer.
Posted by: Ebbaque Bourbon1193   2022-03-14 18:57  

#36  When does the call go out for Americans to pay reparations because we did not exterminate the last nazi for all time at the end of WW II?
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-03-14 18:48  

#35  Stage 2: Irony - dismiss evidence with artless put-downs
Stage 3: Change Subject
Posted by: Graiper Thimp3588   2022-03-14 18:46  

#34  I'm sure if Russia ever invades us they're going to pull out all the stops and show the Blues Brothers Movie to prove we're all nazis too.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2022-03-14 18:43  

#33  Russia claims some of the Azov battalion are Nazis, numbered about 3000. While there about 50,000-70,000 Neo-Nazis in Russia many fighting with Neo-Nazi leader Alexander Petrovich Barkashov against Ukraine.
Posted by: Clyde Untervehr8732   2022-03-14 18:29  

#32  Wiesenthal Center Protests Kiev March on January 1, 2022 to Honor Birthday of Ukrainian Nazi Collaborator Stefan Bandera
Posted by: Simon Wiesenthal Center    2022-03-14 18:22  

#31  #26 Funny how the country with the most neo-Nazis on record is Russia Ukraine, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center

Unlike Russia, whose president was honored with the 2020 "Friends of Zion" award originally commissioned by Shimon Peres and presented in Jerusalem.

"Mike Evans has notified the Russian Embassy in Israel of his decision to honor President Putin. In addition he announced that 'Friends of Zion Heritage Center will be building a special exhibition honoring Russia for saving a multitude of Jews during World War II. FOZ is also building an exhibition in honor of President Trump for all he has done to support the State of Israel and combat anti-Semitism,' said Evans."
Posted by: Simon Wiesenthal Center   2022-03-14 18:13  

#30  Yes. The time I must spend being accused of being pro-nazi (I'm not) is cutting into the time I must spend being a rayciss and a white supremacist. I wish they would all make up their minds on the left.

Given my own choice, I prefer to be a rabid gun nut and greedy capitalist as many hours a day as I can keep my eyes open.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-03-14 17:54  

#29  *Sigh* Nazi this and neo-Nazi that. Ethnic Chauvinists that despise the stranger living across the river are as old as mankind and were not invented in 20th century Germany. Ukraine has them, Russia has them, Germany, China, Japan and... ask a Korean or Chinese about the Japanese, eh?

This presumption that we are supposed to start drooling and barking like Pavlov's dog at the very mention of the word 'nazi' gets old.
Posted by: magpie   2022-03-14 17:47  

#28  Many thanks to the left, who has spent the last 5 years relentlessly telling us that EVERYONE is a Nazi. As a result, I no longer care.

Further, why would I root for the Communists over the Nazis (if that's what they are)? How would the communists winning ever be considered a good thing?
Posted by: Crusader   2022-03-14 17:41  

#27  Let the Alinsky style ridicule begin...
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-03-14 17:40  

#26  Funny how the country with the most neo-Nazis on record is Russia, yet they aren't cleaning up their own.
Posted by: Clyde Untervehr8732   2022-03-14 17:39  

#25  Stage 2: Irony - dismiss evidence with artless put-downs ("chew toy" yukyuk)
Stage 3: Change Subject
Posted by: Graiper Thimp3588   2022-03-14 17:34  

#24  It's nice that commenters are finally coming around to recognizing that Ukrainian Nazis exist. The argument has now moved to "Nazis aren't a big deal." That's progress! There's hope for you after all. Evidence is changing your opinions. You're out of Stage 1: Denial.
Posted by: Omomolet Phutch9064   2022-03-14 17:27  

#23  Nazis wouldn't burn people alive in May 2014 and hack the corpses to pieces, would they? Nope. No Nazis, unh-unh
Posted by: Injun Angugum6481   2022-03-14 14:06  

#22  Hopefully a soon to be dead paramilitary militia.
Posted by: Cthulhu of Ryleh   2022-03-14 14:06  

#21  Yup. "Trolls" - like the Wiesenthal Center Jerusalem office head, Efraim Zuroff:

Called a “neo-Nazi paramilitary militia” by Congressmen John Conyers Jr. and Ted Yoho, who cosponsored the bipartisan amendment, the battalion has been a source of controversy since its inception.

With the neo-Nazi Wolfsangel symbol on its unit flash – which resembles a black swastika on a yellow background – and founders drawn from the ranks of the paramilitary national socialist group called “Patriot of Ukraine,” the group would have been a fringe phenomenon in any Western nation, but with its army unequipped to face the separatist threat in the east, Kiev actually integrated Azov into its military forces.

The news that the Azov Battalion is now legally able to receive American aid has enraged the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which last week successfully blocked the battalion from holding a recruitment meeting in Nantes, France.
“This step is hardly surprising to anyone who has been following the growing danger of Holocaust distortion in post-Communist Europe, and especially in the Baltics, Ukraine and Hungary,” said Wiesenthal Center Jerusalem office head Efraim Zuroff.
Posted by: Simon Wiesenthal Center   2022-03-14 14:01  

#20  A fresh run of baby trolls! Guess they are short of other places to spawn with most of the Internet being shut due to Vlad's misadventure. Remember, tell the Chekist you need your pay in advance and in real money!
Posted by: Nero   2022-03-14 13:55  

#19  Radio Free Europe, Amnesty International - what would those propaganda outlets know about recognizing Nazis?
Posted by: Blinky Elmusonter3307   2022-03-14 13:54  

#18  Awkward. Very awkward. March 3: PBS interviews their heroic mayor of Konotop....but forgets to tell viewers he's a well known Nazi. PBS even goes so far as to blur the picture of Stepan Bandera that he has in his office
Posted by: Vinegar Sproing9359   2022-03-14 13:48  

#17  Soros. He was part time Nazi. And recalls it fondly. Soros supports Zelensky fervently, wishes death upon others. Is open to keep funding unrest and lobbying for EU expansion at the cost of regional interests.
Posted by: Cthulhu of Ryleh   2022-03-14 13:46  

#16  This is how Vladimir, Czar of All the Russias, described Ukraine right before the invasion Special Military Operation:

"Ukraine is not just a neighbouring country for us. It is an inalienable part of our own history, culture and spiritual space. These are our comrades, those dearest to us – not only colleagues, friends, but also relatives, people bound by blood, by family ties."

Doesn't sound like he's talking about a Nazi stronghold. But please, feel free to contradict him.
Posted by: Matt   2022-03-14 13:42  

#15  Nazis? Pshaw. What would Jewish Ukrainians know about Nazis in their midst? More propaganda
Posted by: George and Company4040   2022-03-14 13:38  

#14  No Nazis here
Posted by: Clem Dark Lord of the Algonquins9704   2022-03-14 12:48  

#13  Here are some short Nazis conquering an Italian school. You can see the tiny swastikas on their backpacks.
Posted by: Matt   2022-03-14 12:44  

#12  I hate Illinois Nazis.
Posted by: Crusader   2022-03-14 12:28  

#11   No Nazis here, no sirree
Posted by: Whomotle tse Tung8726   2022-03-14 12:20  

#10  But that's the talking point the Kremlin fed them. It's all they have.
Posted by: Rob Crawford   2022-03-14 12:15  

#9  Skokie? What did Skokie ever do to you?
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839   2022-03-14 11:26  

#8  I guess all the mirrors in Russia got broken during Putin's accession to Fuhrer.
Posted by: Angaiper Ulavins1210   2022-03-14 11:10  

#7  It's astounding that the overwhelming amount of evidence about Ukraine Nazis is simply ignored with stuffing thumbs in ears. It's distressing that accurate information is not changing opinions as it should among intelligent people.

*Stomps tiny feet. Shakes tiny fists*
Posted by: Frank G   2022-03-14 10:06  

#6  No one who comments here on a regular basis is pro-nazi. I think there are lots of people here, myself included, who feel screaming "Nazi!" isn't much of an argument in and of itself. We have nazis here in the US. We somehow manage to deal with it without preparing to nuke Skokie.

Just sayin'
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-03-14 09:51  

#5  The Fascists are in Moscow. Stand standard Fascist, Communist technique: accuse others of what you are guilty of.

It's astounding that the overwhelming amount of evidence about Ukraine Nazis is simply ignored with stuffing thumbs in ears. It's distressing that accurate information is not changing opinions as it should among intelligent people.
Posted by: Omomolet Phutch9064   2022-03-14 09:46  

#4  "Cried... in tears," I snored, asleep.
Posted by: Boss Glusort6259   2022-03-14 08:23  

#3  "I'm stunned that Herr Hilter used force,"
Cried Stalin, in tears, "So of course
I'm denouncing his crime...
Though I might need some time
To get over our ugly divorce."
Posted by: Boss Glusort6259   2022-03-14 08:21  

#2  The Fascists are in Moscow. Stand standard Fascist, Communist technique: accuse others of what you are guilty of.
Posted by: Angaiper Ulavins1210   2022-03-14 07:32  

#1  I bet somewhere in a DoS email archive there's a memo that basically said "This Maidan thing seems like a harmless way to keep (Nuland, Vindman et al) occupied and out of the adults' hair for a while..."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2022-03-14 07:13  

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