Latest news with #Wolfsangel
United News of India
5 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Former Ukrainian PM Nikolai Azarov urges ‘de-Nazification' of Ukraine
Moscow/Kyiv, Aug 14 (UNI) Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolai Azarov has said that along with ending the Russia-Ukraine war, another major issue that needs to be addressed is the 'de-nazification' of Kyiv, calling it a "pressing matter." According to Azarov, no one has ever done anything on this track in Ukraine, while speaking to Russian state media TASS. "It is carried out by way of an accomplished fact on the battlefield. The Azov battalion (outlawed in Russia as a terrorist association) was eliminated - that's about all that has been done on the denazification track. Of course, this is a pressing topic," he said. A far right group in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Azov Battalion has long been accused of being a 'neo-Nazi' militia, due to its use of symbols such as the 'Wolfsangel' rune, and making white supremacist and antisemitic comments during its early formation. The group's own history is of controversy, as its ties to a neo-Nazi ideology have polarised people, with some calling them Ukrainian nationalists, while others calling them an extremist group who wish to construct a Ukraine based on Nazi ideologies. According to Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov, Ukraine can be 'de Nazified', only after the end of the war, be it via military or diplomacy. At a high-level meeting with Russian foreign ministry officials in mid-June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin outlined Moscow's preconditions for resolving the conflict. These included Ukraine withdrawing its forces from Donbass and Novorossia, abandoning aspirations to join NATO, and committing to a non-bloc, non-nuclear status. UNI ANV PRS
Russia Today
23-02-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Danish politicians applaud member of Ukraine's neo-Nazi unit (VIDEO)
A member of Ukraine's notorious neo-Nazi Azov unit and convicted war criminal Dmitry Kanuper has received a standing ovation during a conference in the Danish parliament. Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, and parliamentary speaker Soren Gade, attended the event, which took place on February 19. Established as a volunteer battalion in 2014 and incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard a year later, Azov has faced accusations of war crimes and was formally designated a terrorist organization by Russia in 2022. The unit, co-founded by prominent Ukrainian white supremacist Andrey Biletsky, has openly welcomed nationalists, neo-Nazis, and football hooligans into its ranks. Azov uses the Wolfsangel, a rune adopted by several German divisions during World War II, including the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich. Il nazista ucraino Dmytro Kanuper di Azov ha tenuto un discorso al parlamento danese, dove ha ricevuto una standing ovation. Kanuper è stato recentemente liberato dalla prigionia russa nonostante fosse accusato di crimini di guerra a Mariupol. The unit was decimated during the battle of Mariupol in 2022, when many of its members, including Kanuper, were taken prisoner. In September 2023, a Russian court sentenced Kanuper to 29 years in prison for war crimes. According to Russia's Investigative Committee, in March 2022, Kanuper opened fire on a civilian vehicle, killing two unarmed men, and later shot a third civilian on the street. Kanuper was eventually released as part of a prisoner swap and, according to Ukrainian media, returned home in September 2024. His meeting with Danish politicians was organized by the Ukrainian World Congress and the local Ukrainian community. Benny Engelbrecht, a member of parliament for the Social Democrats, has thanked Kanuper for his 'powerful story' and fighting for 'Ukraine's freedom.' Russia has accused the West of turning a blind eye to war crimes committed by Ukrainian troops and 'encouraging' attacks on civilians. In September 2023, a Ukrainian man who served in Nazi Germany's 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS was granted a standing ovation in the Canadian parliament. The incident caused an uproar from Jewish groups and led to the resignation of the parliamentary speaker.
