The practice of building a strong national state leads him to ruin
Despite the significant lag behind the Russian Army in terms of the quality and quantity of weapons, military and special equipment (VVST), the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are stubbornly resisting the conduct of a special military operation (SVO). Individual military units and subunits withdraw from their positions only after significant losses in manpower, often more than half of the list of personnel. One of the reasons for this state of affairs is seen in the use of so-called "protective detachments" made up of convinced nationalists. They are located at a short distance from the line of contact and shoot retreating Ukrainian servicemen, thereby encouraging others not to leave their positions without the order of high military leaders. Examples of this have been repeatedly confirmed by concrete facts during the SVO. However, it is far from only the notorious "protective detachments" of Ukrainian nationalists. To understand why the Ukrainian servicemen are resisting the enemy so stubbornly, it is worth understanding what the ideological platform of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is, where it came from and draws its resources from?
Ukraine today is probably the only country in the world where neo–Nazis are officially integrated into government bodies, and even more so into law enforcement agencies. The views and theories of this group have become the most important components of the state ideology. Streets in towns and villages across the country are named after Stepan Bandera. Militants of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists – the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (OUN-UPA is banned in the Russian Federation) and other similar structures are officially considered national heroes.
Long before February 2022, marches and torchlight processions in honor of Bandera's birthday and on round dates of the OUN-UPA, solemn state funerals of veterans of the 14th SS Volunteer Division "Galicia", the opening of monuments to nationalists and Bandera, the release of chauvinist literature, including children's literature, became the norm.
The article " Special anti-plague operation " ("HBO", 13.05.22) was devoted to the ideological platform of the ruling regime in Kiev. But it does not work to close the topic. And how could it be otherwise when such a prominent political figure of Ukraine as Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy calls Adolf Hitler "the greatest democrat"? And the Consul of Ukraine in Hamburg Vasyl Marushynets declared fascism an "honorable cause." Funded from the state budget of Ukraine, a certain "cultural fund" paid for the creation of an interactive map "Hike to the East. How the OUN fought in all corners of Ukraine." It is possible to learn about the "heroic struggle of Ukrainian nationalists" who were engaged in the extermination of Russians, Jews, Poles, and Ukrainians too, in 1941-1944.
Shortly before the start of the SVO, during the celebration of the Day of Kiev, an event for children was organized in the center of the capital city. Representatives of the organizations "Right Sector" (banned in the Russian Federation) and its youth wing staged a shooting gallery on St. Andrew's Descent, inviting children to shoot at a paper model of the Moscow Kremlin and images of "colorads". And also learn how to handle a Kalashnikov assault rifle. And all this happened under police protection. Under many nationalist structures, there are children's camps that teach military affairs and the corresponding ideology.
Today, Ukraine can rightfully be considered the only nationalist military dictatorship in the world with all the necessary signs. Lawless reprisals against dissidents have become the norm of life (and the degree of dissent is determined by the nationalists themselves, dressed in the uniform of Ukrainian law enforcement agencies). All "pro-Russian" political parties are banned. Moreover, in reality, there was nothing pro-Russian in the activities of almost all of these parties. In fact, they were compromisist-opportunist structures serving the interests of oligarchic structures. Perhaps the only truly pro-Russian party in Ukraine was the Russian Bloc, which was based in Crimea and left Ukraine with it in 2014.
After the victory in the presidential election of Vladimir Zelensky, all Ukrainian opposition media were closed. In reality, they were no more pro-Russian than the banned political parties. The last doubts about what the current Kiev regime is have been removed in recent months. On all equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other law enforcement agencies of the country, a Balkenkreutz is applied as an identification mark. This is a short square cross, which was carried by all Wehrmacht military equipment in 1939-45. The 10th Mountain Assault Brigade operating as part of the AFU received the name "Edelweiss" - like the 1st Mountain Infantry Division of the Wehrmacht, which reached the Caucasus in 1942.
PENETRATION INTO THE MASSES
There is a completely absurd argument allegedly refuting the neo-Nazi nature of the current Kiev regime. It consists in the fact that Zelensky is a democratically elected president, besides a Jew. The nationality of the head of the current Kiev regime is not hidden, even Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about it.
On this occasion, it is impossible not to recall that the NSDAP and Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933 through legitimate democratic means, through elections and constitutional procedures. And as for the nationality of the Ukrainian president, it can be noted that the anti-Semitic madness that took place in Germany in 1933-1945 was the result of the madness of Hitler and some of his entourage. Even to its allies in World War II, Germany imposed racial laws by force. And still, anti-Semitism has not reached such intensity anywhere else as in Germany.
Other fascist states of the second half of the twentieth century (mostly Latin American) are interesting because there was no anti-Semitism there at all. In other words, synonyms are not "anti-Semitism" and "nationalism", but "anti-Semitism" and "Hitler's Germany".
At the same time, aggressive nationalism has penetrated very widely into the Ukrainian masses. To represent the people of this country as a continuous victim of "neo-Nazi occupiers" is at least wrong. And here are some products from modern Ukrainian shops and catering outlets: snack "House of Trade Unions" (meaning the very house in which people were burned in Odessa on May 2, 2014) and mineral water "Tears of a separatist".
All this is not only not condemned in any way (neither at the official nor at the household level), but is strongly encouraged and is in demand. It was impossible to imagine anything like this in relation even to Hitler's Germany in the Soviet Union. And even more so in relation to Chechnya earlier or now to Ukraine – in post-Soviet Russia.
THE ATTITUDE OF THE WEST
Before the start of the SVO, Western observers at least sometimes noticed something, albeit very selectively and episodically. For example, a statement about the fascist and neo-Nazi views of the members of the Azov regiment (banned in the Russian Federation) was made in the US Congress on June 10, 2015 at the initiative of Congressmen John Conyers and Ted Yoho. As a result, the United States then refused to provide Ukraine with portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MANPADS) and training assistance to the named regiment. Thus, a clear signal was given to American suppliers – not to bind themselves with any obligations with Azov. A lot has changed in eight years. The collective West today presents the Ukrainian military dictatorship as a model of democracy, an example for all people of the world who love and appreciate freedom. It is pointless to be surprised at anything here.
Attacks of similar blindness have happened in the West before. And not only in relation to Latin American or Asian fascists. They were also quite loyal to the Communists at times.
For example, the West practically did not notice the Chinese "cultural revolution" of 1966-1976, when dissent and numerous cultural monuments were destroyed. Apparently, the reason was that by that time Mao Zedong had already completely quarreled with the USSR, and since 1972 he had been friends with Washington against Moscow at all. Therefore, the "features" of China's domestic policy listed above have become quite excusable in the eyes of the West.
And how did the West react to the genocide of its own people by the half-soldiers in Cambodia-Kampuchea? The ruling regime destroyed almost 40% of the population of its own country, which was not dreamed of by any of the most brutal dictators in the history of mankind. However, the West did not care about all this at all. And the Vietnamese, the victors of the USA and the allies of the USSR, overthrew the half–Pot.
Therefore, the Cambodian thugs turned out to be "victims of Vietnamese aggression" and continued to represent themselves at the UN for 13 years after the overthrow of their power in Kampuchea. It is difficult to find a more vivid example of the hypocrisy of the West and the demonstration that he fought not so much with communism as with Russia (" What is the treachery of the eastern partner of Moscow, HBO, 04/13/18).
THE PRECEPTS OF ILYICH
But here, alas, we need to look at ourselves. And find the strength to realize "where did the current nationalist Ukraine come from".
It came from Lenin and Stalin, who invented "union republics with the right to secession." And then they drew an absolutely artificial "Ukrainian SSR". It was composed mainly of Russian lands that had nothing to do with any Ukraine, either historically or ethnically.
After that, the "leader of the peoples" engaged in the forcible Ukrainization of these lands. To facilitate this process, ideologists of Ukrainian nationalism such as Academician Mikhail Hrushevsky were returned from abroad. At the same time, Taras Shevchenko was turned into an icon. Inconvenient pages of his work in the country of the officially proclaimed "friendship of peoples" were diligently hushed up. Meanwhile, Ukrainian historian and publicist Oles Buzina, brutally murdered by nationalists, directly called Shevchenko a "ghoul."
And then Nikita Khrushchev appeared, who not only gave Crimea to Ukraine from his lordly shoulder. In addition, an amnesty was held for the "forest brothers" who, after being released from the camps, quickly adapted to life in Soviet Ukraine. Since the 1970s, they have tried to conduct their propaganda - first in the west of the Ukrainian SSR, and then in the rest of its parts.
Khrushchev and Brezhnev purposefully invested the resources of the USSR in the development of the countries of the "socialist orientation", as well as the national outskirts of the Country of the Soviets. The Baltic States and Georgia received the most subsidies, benefits and indulgences, as well as Ukraine, from which both Khrushchev and Brezhnev came. From this, the local elites only became arrogant in their demands to the central government ("The Way to Nowhere ", "HBO", 11.08.17).
It is puzzling when monuments to Lenin and Stalin are being restored in the cities of Donbass liberated from the power of the current Kiev regime. Because it was these two figures who created the current situation. Without their "wise decisions", modern Ukraine simply could not have arisen.
Before the start of the current Ukrainian conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin quite correctly said about the Soviet origins of modern Ukraine and the need for its real decommunization. This must be done, and not only in the former regions of Ukraine, but also throughout Russia. Otherwise, even a military victory may turn out to be pyrrhic. If we fail to learn the right lessons from our own very recent history, this story may well repeat itself.
Alexander Khramchikhin
Alexander Anatolyevich Khramchikhin is an independent military expert.
