• reuters: Ukraine's neo-Nazi problem

    From alexander koryagin@2:5075/128.130 to All on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 14:43:23
    Hi, All!


    reuters.com
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    Commentary: Ukraine's neo-Nazi problem
    By Josh Cohen, Commentary

    As Ukraine's struggle against Russia and its proxies continues, Kiev
    must also contend with a growing problem behind the front lines:
    far-right vigilantes who are willing to use intimidation and even
    violence to advance their agendas, and who often do so with the tacit
    approval of law enforcement agencies.


    Slideshow ( 3 images ) A January 28 demonstration, in Kiev, by 600
    members of the so-called "National Militia," a newly-formed
    ultranationalist group that vows "to use force to establish order," illustrates this threat. While the group's Kiev launch was peaceful,
    National Militia members in balaclavas stormed a city council meeting in
    the central Ukrainian town of Cherkasy the following day, skirmishing
    with deputies and forcing them to pass a new budget.

    Many of the National Militia's members come from the Azov movement, one
    of the 30-odd privately-funded "volunteer battalions" that, in the early
    days of the war, helped the regular army to defend Ukrainian territory
    against Russia's separatist proxies. Although Azov uses Nazi-era
    symbolism and recruits neo-Nazis into its ranks, a recent article in
    Foreign Affairs downplayed any risks the group might pose, pointing out
    that, like other volunteer militias, Azov has been "reined in" through
    its integration into Ukraine's armed forces. While it's true that
    private militias no longer rule the battlefront, it's the home front
    that Kiev needs to worry about now.

    When Russian President Vladimir Putin's seizure of Crimea four years ago
    first exposed the decrepit condition of Ukraine's armed forces,
    right-wing militias such as Azov and Right Sector stepped into the
    breach, fending off the Russian-backed separatists while Ukraine's
    regular military regrouped. Though, as a result, many Ukrainians
    continue to regard the militias with gratitude and admiration, the more extreme among these groups promote an intolerant and illiberal ideology
    that will endanger Ukraine in the long term. Since the Crimean crisis,
    the militias have been formally integrated into Ukraine's armed forces,
    but some have resisted full integration: Azov, for example, runs its own children's training camp, and the careers section instructs recruits who
    wish to transfer to Azov from a regular military unit.


    According to Freedom House's Ukraine project director Matthew Schaaf, "numerous organized radical right-wing groups exist in Ukraine, and
    while the volunteer battalions may have been officially integrated into
    state structures, some of them have since spun off political and
    non-profit structures to implement their vision." Schaaf noted that "an increase in patriotic discourse supporting Ukraine in its conflict with
    Russia has coincided with an apparent increase in both public hate
    speech, sometimes by public officials and magnified by the media, as
    well as violence towards vulnerable groups such as the LGBT community,"
    an observation that is supported by a recent Council of Europe study.

    In recent months, Ukraine has experienced a wave of unchecked
    vigilantism. Institute Respublica, a local pro-democracy NGO, reported
    that activists are frequently harassed by vigilantes when holding legal meetings or rallies related to politically-controversial positions, such
    as the promotion of LGBT rights or opposition to the war. Azov and other militias have attacked anti-fascist demonstrations, city council
    meetings, media outlets, art exhibitions, foreign students and Roma. Progressive activists describe a new climate of fear that they say has
    been intensifying ever since last year's near-fatal stabbing of anti-war activist Stas Serhiyenko, which is believed to have been perpetrated by
    an extremist group named C14 (the name refers to a 14-word slogan
    popular among white supremacists). Brutal attacks this month on
    International Women's Day marches in several Ukrainian cities prompted
    an unusually forceful statement from Amnesty International, which warned
    that "the Ukrainian state is rapidly losing its monopoly on violence."
    Ukraine is not the only country that must contend with a resurgent far
    right. But Kiev's recent efforts to incorporate independent armed groups
    into its regular armed forces, as well as a continuing national sense of indebtedness to the militias for their defense of the homeland, make addressing the ultranationalist threat considerably more complicated
    than it is elsewhere. According to Schaaf and the Institute Respublica, Ukrainian extremists are rarely punished for acts of violence. In some
    cases - such as C14's January attack on a remembrance gathering for two murdered journalists - police actually detain peaceful demonstrators
    instead.

    To be clear, the Kremlin's claims that Ukraine is a hornets' nest of
    fascists are false: far-right parties performed poorly in Ukraine's last parliamentary elections, and Ukrainians reacted with alarm to the
    National Militia's demonstration in Kiev. But connections between law enforcement agencies and extremists give Ukraine's Western allies ample
    reason for concern. C14 and Kiev's city government recently signed an agreement allowing C14 to establish a "municipal guard" to patrol the
    streets; three such militia-run guard forces are already registered in
    Kiev, and at least 21 operate in other cities.

    In an ideal world, President Petro Poroshenko would purge the police and
    the interior ministry of far-right sympathizers, including Interior
    Minister Arsen Avakov, who has close ties to Azov leader Andriy
    Biletsky, as well as Sergei Korotkykh, an Azov veteran who is now a high-ranking police official. But Poroshenko would risk major
    repercussions if he did so; Avakov is his chief political rival, and the ministry he runs controls the police, the National Guard and several
    former militias.

    As one Ukrainian analyst noted in December, control of these forces make Avakov extremely powerful and Poroshenko's presidency might not be
    strong enough to withstand the kind of direct confrontation with Avakov
    that an attempt to oust him or to strike at his power base could well
    produce. Poroshenko has endured frequent verbal threats, including calls
    for revolution, from ultranationalist groups, so he may believe that he
    needs Avakov to keep them in check.

    Avakov's Peoples' Party status as the main partner in Ukraine's
    parliamentary coalition increases Avakov's leverage over Poroshenko's
    Bloc. An attempt to fire Avakov could imperil Poroshenko's slim
    legislative majority, and lead to early parliamentary elections. Given Poroshenko's current unpopularity, this is a scenario he will likely try
    to avoid.

    Despite his weak position, Poroshenko still has some options for
    reducing the threat from the far right. Though Avakov controls the
    Ukraine's police and National Guard, Poroshenko still commands Ukraine's security and intelligence services, the SBU, and could instruct the
    agency to cut its ties with C14 and other extremist groups. Poroshenko
    should also express public support for marginalized groups like the Roma
    and LGBT communities, and affirm his commitment to protecting their rights.

    Western diplomats and human rights organizations must urge Ukraine's government to uphold the rule of law and to stop allowing the far right
    to act with impunity. International donors can help by funding more initiatives like the United States Agency for International
    Development's projects supporting training for Ukrainian lawyers and
    human rights defenders, and improving equitable access to the judicial
    system for marginalized communities.

    There's no easy way to eradicate the virulent far-right extremism that
    has been poisoning Ukrainian politics and public life, but without
    vigorous and immediate efforts to counteract it, it may soon endanger
    the state itself.

    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cohen-ukraine-commentary-idUSKBN1GV2TY#teaserId=11896683&teaserType=mobileExchangeNews

    https://tinyurl.com/ybmx5eek
    ----- The end of the citation -----

    Bye, All!
    Alexander Koryagin
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  • From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to alexander koryagin on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 14:56:06
    Commentary: Ukraine's neo-Nazi problem
    By Josh Cohen, Commentary
    ...
    When Russian President Vladimir Putin's seizure of Crimea four years ago
    ==============

    Looks like something dated ... no?

    Just so you understand, this is not "news" which is being distributed by Reuters, it is not their style of writing at all. Just an argument with a private opinion which Reuters has on their websibe because they believe in free speech ... the opinions of others.

    You also carefully omitted the following:

    "The views expressed in this article are not those of Reuters News"

    Nice try, but no cookie.

    \%/@rd

    --- DB4 - 20220222
    * Origin: Hou het veilig, hou vol. Het komt allemaal weer goed (2:292/854)
  • From alexander koryagin@2:5075/128.130 to Ward Dossche on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 14:57:03
    Hi, Ward Dossche!
    I read your message from 12.04.2022 15:56

    ak>> Commentary: Ukraine's neo-Nazi problem
    ak>> By Josh Cohen, Commentary
    WD> ...
    ak>> When Russian President Vladimir Putin's seizure of Crimea
    ak>> four years ago
    WD>
    WD> ============== Looks like something dated ... no?
    WD> Just so you understand, this is not "news" which is being
    WD> distributed by Reuters, it is not their style of writing at
    WD> all. Just an argument with a private opinion which Reuters has
    WD> on their websibe because they believe in free speech ... the
    WD> opinions of others. You also carefully omitted the following:
    WD> "The views expressed in this article are not those of Reuters News"
    WD> Nice try, but no cookie.

    Nothing has changed in these 4 years in relation the the told. Well it
    maybe became worse.

    Bye, Ward!
    Alexander Koryagin
    fido.fidonews,local.cc.ak 2022
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    * Origin: Usenet Network (2:5075/128.130)
  • From Ward Dossche@2:292/854 to alexander koryagin on Wednesday, April 13, 2022 14:50:53
    Alexander,

    "The views expressed in this article are not those of Reuters News"

    Nothing has changed in these 4 years in relation the the told. Well it maybe became worse.

    You have tried to make an opinionated text from some non-journalist pass as news distributed by Reuters ... please try folling someone else ... also tell your bosses.

    \%/@rd

    --- DB4 - 20220222
    * Origin: Hou het veilig, hou vol. Het komt allemaal weer goed (2:292/854)