This week I am taking a break from the regular storyline I have been working on the past few years to address the war in Ukraine. As you can see, I am mostly interested in the question of neo-Nazis in the Ukraine. Ukrainian far-right and neo-Nazi groups have created serious political problems within Ukraine politics and participated in the conflicts in eastern Ukraine prior to the invasion, but they are not a dominant force in either Ukrainian politics or society, which is democratic, pluralistic, and has a significant Jewish population. They certainly don’t provide a pretext for invasion from another country, especially Putin’s authoritarian regime. For that matter, US politics is more influenced by right wing white nationalist sentiments akin to Nazism and fascism. If Putin is looking for Nazis or fellow travelers of that sort, there are probably several gathered not far from my own home in the otherwise very liberal Portland, Oregon.
Some further reading:
Putin references neo-Nazis and drug addicts in bizarre speech to Russian security council
Putin’s claim to rid Ukraine of Nazis is especially absurd given its history
The antisemitism animating Putin’s claim to ‘denazify’ Ukraine
Ukrainian Jews Angry and Appalled at Putin’s ‘Denazification’ Claim
Will the GOP’s Trumpist Wing Persist in Its Embrace of Putin?
CIA-trained Ukrainian paramilitaries may take central role if Russia invades
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