Neo-Nazism in Ukraine

Neo-Nazism in Ukraine is a multifaceted issue encompassing the history of ultranationalist movements, their contemporary manifestations, and the state's complex relationship with certain nationalist figures and groups. The topic has gained international attention in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian War as denazifying Ukraine is one of the Russian Federation's stated objectives of the 2022 invasion, frequently labeling the Ukrainian government and its supporters as Nazis. Both sides have utilized propaganda to accuse the other of Nazism. Ukraine, in turn, has highlighted Russia's aggression and rhetoric, with Ukrainian leaders and media comparing Russian actions to those of the Nazis during World War II.

History

Historically, Ukrainian nationalism is a complex phenomenon with origins in late Imperial Russia and the interwar period.[2] In 1929, a group of Ukrainian intellectuals and veterans, including Yevhen Konovalets, Stepan Bandera, and Andriy Melnyk, inspired by Italian fascism and German National Socialism,[3] formed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and sought Ukrainian independence from the Soviet Union. The group, drawing from Nazi racial ideology and Führerism, sought to create a totalitarian Ukrainian ethnostate as well. Many OUN fighters were trained by Fascist Italy in Sicily alongside the Ustaše, and also had offices in Nazi Berlin and Vienna with many trainees becoming influenced by fascist ideology.[4] The two were often at odds and formally factionalized in April 1941, Bandera's faction was known as OUN-B (Banderites), and OUN-M (Melnykites). Both OUN factions at times collaborated with Nazi Germany, viewing them as a potential ally against the Soviet Union.[5] Members of the OUN took an active part in the Holocaust in Ukraine and Poland, either directly orchestrating or actively participating in a number of pogroms and other massacres, such as the Lviv pogroms and a massacre of about 100,000 Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia.[6]

Stepan Bandera has long been and remains a highly contentious figure within Ukraine, with many memorials to him being erected in post-Soviet Ukraine, primarily within pro-western regions. Among his supporters, he is seen as a champion of Ukrainian liberation from Soviet occupation, among his detractors he is seen as a genocidal Nazi collaborator. In 2010, he was posthumously granted the honorary title "Hero of Ukraine" by pro-western President Viktor Yushchenko, but this title was revoked shortly after the election of his anti-western successor Viktor Yanukovych.[7][8]

Modern Ukrainian nationalism and neo-Nazism have roots dating back to the early 1990s following Ukraine's independence, with some "social nationalists" drawing inspiration from German National Socialism alongside earlier Ukrainian nationalist figures.

Contemporary status

In contemporary Ukraine, various ultranationalist and neo-Nazi groups exist, though they command limited popular support in elections.[9] Several neo-Nazi parties have held positions within the Verkhovna Rada (VR), and many within regional councils. The most prominent neo-Nazi[10] party within Ukraine is Svoboda, formerly the Social-National Party of Ukraine, which currently holds one seat in the VR. The party received 315,568 votes in the 2019 parliamentary elections, the last national election held in Ukraine.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Kyiv's Next Image Problem". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
  2. ^ Hurska, Alla (February 2016). "Far-right Movements and Ideology in Contemporary Ukraine: Formidable Image vs. Weak Essence". prod.cidob.org. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  3. ^ Brown, Kate (2009-06-30). A Biography of No Place. Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-02893-7.
  4. ^ Fascism without Borders: Transnational Connections and Cooperation between Movements and Regimes in Europe from 1918 to 1945 (1 ed.). Berghahn Books. 2019. ISBN 978-1-78533-468-9.
  5. ^ Motyl, Alexander (15 March 2010). "Stepan Bandera: Hero of Ukraine?". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  6. ^ Rudling, Per Anders (2013). "The Return of the Ukrainian Far Right: The Case of VO Svoboda". In Wodak and Richardson (ed.). Analysing Fascist Discourse: European Fascism in Talk and Text. New York: Routledge. pp. 229–235.
  7. ^ "Divisive Nationalist Made Ukraine Hero". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2010-01-27. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
  8. ^ "Суд на Украине лишил С.Бандеру звания Героя :: Общество :: Top.rbc.ru". top.rbc.ru. Archived from the original on 2010-04-05. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
  9. ^ Farley, Robert (31 March 2022). "The Facts on 'De-Nazifying' Ukraine". FactCheck.org. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
  10. ^ Golinkin, Lev (2019-02-22). "Neo-Nazis and the Far Right Are On the March in Ukraine". ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
  11. ^ "Wayback Machine" (PDF). www.cvk.gov.ua. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
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