This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page KIEV, UKRAINE (THE GRAYZONE) — Back in October 2019, as the war in eastern Ukraine dragged on, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled to Zolote, a town situated firmly in the “gray zone” of Donbas, where over 14,000 had been killed, mostly on the pro-Russian side the president encountered the hardened veterans of extreme right paramilitary units keeping up the fight against separatists just a few miles away Elected on a platform of de-escalation of hostilities with Russia Zelensky was determined to enforce the so-called Steinmeier Formula conceived by then-German Foreign Minister Walter Steinmeier which called for elections in the Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk In a face-to-face confrontation with militants from the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion who had launched a campaign to sabotage the peace initiative called “No to Capitulation,” Zelensky encountered a wall of obstinacy With appeals for disengagement from the frontlines firmly rejected, Zelensky melted down on camera I came to you and told you: remove the weapons,” Zelensky implored the fighters President of Ukraine Zelensky has visited disengaging area in Zolote today https://t.co/scFZLt45C2 pic.twitter.com/JlD1cWPQ39 — Liveuamap (@Liveuamap) October 26, 2019 Once video of the stormy confrontation spread across Ukrainian social media channels, Zelensky became the target of an angry backlash Andriy Biletsky, the proudly fascist Azov Battalion leader who once pledged to “lead the white races of the world in a final crusade…against Semite-led Untermenschen” vowed to bring thousands of fighters to Zolote if Zelensky pressed any further a parliamentarian from the party of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko openly fantasized about Zelensky being blown to bits by a militant’s grenade Though Zelensky achieved a minor disengagement, the neo-Nazi paramilitaries escalated their “No Capitulation” campaign. And within months, fighting began to heat up again in Zolote, sparking a new cycle of violations of the Minsk Agreement By this point, Azov had been formally incorporated into the Ukrainian military and its street vigilante wing, known as the National Corps, was deployed across the country under the watch of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, and alongside the National Police Zelensky would be seen delivering a “Hero of Ukraine” award to a leader of the fascistic Right Sector in a ceremony in Ukraine’s parliament A full-scale conflict with Russia was approaching and the distance between Zelensky and the extremist paramilitaries was closing fast This February 24, when Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukrainian territory on a stated mission to “demilitarize and denazify” the country, US media embarked on a mission of its own: to deny the power of neo-Nazi paramilitaries over the country’s military and political sphere. As the US government-funded National Public Radio insisted “Putin’s language [about denazification] is offensive and factually wrong.” In its bid to deflect from the influence of Nazism in contemporary Ukraine US media has found its most effective PR tool in the figure of Zelensky a former TV star and comedian from a Jewish background It is a role the actor-turned-politician has eagerly assumed Zelensky has not only ceded ground to the neo-Nazis in his midst he has entrusted them with a front line role in his country’s war against pro-Russian and Russian forces Hours before President Putin’s February 24 speech declaring denazification as the goal of Russian operations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “asked how a people who lost eight million of its citizens fighting Nazis could support Nazism,” according to the BBC as Russian troops bear down on cities like Mariupol which is effectively under the control of the Azov Battalion Zelensky is no longer ashamed to broadcast his Jewishness “How could I be a Nazi?” he wondered aloud during a public address For a US media engaged in an all-out information war against Russia the president’s Jewish background has become an essential public relations tool Watch left & right wing factions of MSM unite to declare any allegations of Nazism in Ukraine to be Russian fake news because President Zelensky is Jewish. Featuring Senators Marsha Blackburn & Mark Warner, former CIA spy Dan Hoffman & "Ukraine Whistleblower" Alexander Vindman pic.twitter.com/vruyDUoWxv — Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) February 28, 2022 A few examples of the US media’s deployment of Zelensky as a shield against allegations of rampant Nazism in Ukraine are below (see mash-up above for video): Behind the corporate media spin lies the complex and increasingly close relationship Zelensky’s administration has enjoyed with the neo-Nazi forces invested with key military and political posts by the Ukrainian state and the power these open fascists have enjoyed since Washington installed a Western-aligned regime through a coup in 2014 the Ukrainian Jewish oligarch Igor Kolomoisky has been a key benefactor of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion and other extremists militias Incorporated into the Ukrainian National Guard the Azov Battalion is considered the most ideologically zealous and militarily motivated unit fighting pro-Russian separatists in the eastern Donbas region With Nazi-inspired Wolfsangel insignia on the uniforms of its fighters who have been photographed with Nazi SS symbols on their helmets Azov “is known for its association with neo-Nazi ideology…[and] is believed to have participated in training and radicalizing US-based white supremacy organizations,” according to an FBI indictment of several US white nationalists that traveled to Kiev to train with Azov In 2019, Kolomoisky emerged as the top backer of Zelensky’s presidential bid. Though Zelensky made anti-corruption the signature issue of his campaign, the Pandora Papers exposed him and members of his inner circle stashing large payments from Kolomoisky in a shadowy web of offshore accounts When Zelensky took office in May 2019, the Azov Battalion maintained de facto control of the strategic southeastern port city of Mariupol and its surrounding villages. As Open Democracy noted “Azov has certainly established political control of the streets in Mariupol to any public event which diverges sufficiently from their political agenda.” Attacks by Azov in Mariupol have included assaults on “feminists and liberals” marching on International Women’s Day among other incidents In March 2019, members of the Azov Battalion’s National Corps attacked the home of Viktor Medvedchuk accusing him of treason for his friendly relations with Vladimir Putin Zelensky’s administration escalated the attack on Medvedchuk, shuttering several media outlets he controlled in February 2021 with the open approval of the US State Department, and jailing the opposition leader for treason three months later Zelensky justified his actions on the grounds that he needed to “fight against the danger of Russian aggression in the information arena.” Next, in August 2020, Azov’s National Corps opened fire on a bus containing members of Medvedchuk’s party wounding several with rubber-coated steel bullets https://twitter.com/Russ_Warrior/status/1299040499937021952 Following his failed attempt to demobilize neo-Nazi militants in the town of Zolote in October 2019, Zelensky called the fighters to the table, telling reporters “I met with veterans yesterday A few seats away from the Jewish president was Yehven Karas During the Maidan “Revolution of Dignity” that ousted Ukraine’s elected president in 2014, C14 activists took over Kiev’s city hall and plastered its walls with neo-Nazi insignia before taking shelter in the Canadian embassy As the former youth wing of the ultra-nationalist Svoboda Party C14 appears to draw its name from the infamous 14 words of US neo-Nazi leader David Lane: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” By offering to carry out acts of spectacular violence on behalf of anyone willing to pay the hooligans have fostered a cozy relationship with various governing bodies and powerful elites across Ukraine A March 2018 report by Reuters stated that “C14 and Kiev’s city government recently signed an agreement allowing C14 to establish a ‘municipal guard’ to patrol the streets,” effectively giving them the sanction of the state to carry out pogroms As The Grayzone reported C14 led raid to “purge” Romani from Kiev’s railway station in collaboration with the Kiev police https://twitter.com/RealAlexRubi/status/1498191420703883264 Karas has claimed that the Ukrainian Security Serves would “pass on” information regarding pro-separatist rallies “not only [to] us the Security Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs work for us Zelensky and his administration deepened their ties with ultra-nationalist elements across Ukraine Just days after Zelensky’s meeting with Karas and other neo-Nazi leaders in November 2019, Oleksiy Honcharuk – then the Prime Minister and deputy head of Zelensky’s presidential office – appeared on stage at a neo-Nazi concert organized by C14 figure and accused murderer Andriy Medvedko Zelensky’s Minister for Veterans Affairs not only attended the concert which featured several antisemitic metal bands Zelensky responded to the controversy by proclaiming that all of Ukraine backed Zolzulya describing him as “not only a cool football player but a true patriot.” only days before full-scale war with Russia erupted Yevhen Karas of the neo-Nazi C14 delivered a stem-winding public address in Kiev intended to highlight the influence his organization and others like it enjoyed over Ukrainian politics Watch Yevhen Karas the leader of Ukraine's neo-Nazi terror gang C14's speech from Kiev earlier this month. Straight from the horses' mouth, he dispels the many narratives pushed by the left, the mainstream media and the State Department. pic.twitter.com/VWJqWPUGUp — Alex Rubinstein (@RealAlexRubi) February 27, 2022 “LGBT and foreign embassies say ‘there were not many Nazis at Maidan maybe about 10 percent of real ideological ones,’” Karas remarked “If not for those eight percent [of neo-Nazis] the effectiveness [of the Maidan coup] would have dropped by 90 percent.” The 2014 Maidan “Revolution of Dignity” would have been a “gay parade” if not for the instrumental role of neo-Nazis Karas went on to opine that the West armed Ukrainian ultra-nationalists because “we have fun killing.” He also fantasized about the balkanization of Russia declaring that it should be broken up into “five different” countries When Russian forces entered Ukraine this February 24, encircling the Ukrainian military in the east and driving towards Kiev, President Zelensky announced a national mobilization that included the release of criminals from prison among them accused murderers wanted in Russia He also blessed the distribution of arms to average citizens and their training by battle-hardened paramilitaries like the Azov Battalion Azov’s National Corps gathered hundreds of ordinary civilians to train in public squares and warehouses from Kharviv to Kiev to Lviv https://twitter.com/MaxBlumenthal/status/1498535108445409282 On February 27, the official Twitter account of the National Guard of Ukraine posted video of “Azov Fighters” greasing their bullets with pig fat to humiliate Russian Muslim fighters from Chechnya https://twitter.com/ng_ukraine/status/1497924614865002497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1497924614865002497%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthegrayzone.com%2F2022%2F03%2F04%2Fnazis-ukrainian-war-russia%2F A day later, the Azov Battalion’s National Corps announced that the Azov Battalion’s Kharkiv Regional Police would begin using the city’s Regional State Administration building as a defense headquarters. Footage posted to Telegram the following day shows the Azov-occupied building being hit by a Russian airstrike Besides authorizing the release of hardcore criminals to join the battle against Russia Zelensky has ordered all males of fighting age to remain in the country Azov militants have proceeded to enforce the policy by brutalizing civilians attempting to flee from the fighting around Mariupol According to one Greek resident in Mariupol recently interviewed by a Greek news station “When you try to leave you run the risk of running into a patrol of the Ukrainian fascists adding “they would kill me and are responsible for everything.” Footage posted online appears to show uniformed members of a fascist Ukrainian militia in Mariupol violently pulling fleeing residents out of their vehicles at gunpoint https://twitter.com/Deus_Abscondis/status/1497620925176754184 Other video filmed at checkpoints around Mariupol showed Azov fighters shooting and killing civilians attempting to flee On March 1, Zelensky replaced the regional administrator of Odessa with Maksym Marchenko, a former commander of the extreme right Aidar Battalion, which has been accused of an array of war crimes in the Donbas region Meanwhile, as a massive convoy of Russian armored vehicles bore down on Kiev, Yehven Karas of the neo-Nazi C14 posted a video on YouTube from inside a vehicle presumably transporting fighters it’s fucking great because it means we died fighting a holy war,” Karas exclaimed Feature photo | Image by MintPress News | Photos by the Associated Press Alexander Rubinstein is a former staff writer for MintPress News based in Washington He previously reported for RT and Sputnik News Max Blumenthal is the founder and editor of The Grayzone, the author of several books and producer of full-length documentaries including the recently released Killing Gaza. Follow him on Twitter at @MaxBlumenthal. Occasional gunshots and shell holes in the walls of neighbouring houses remind Kovaleva of the still-smouldering conflict between tje Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists the woman seems unalarmed by the looming threat of a new war in Ukraine I’ve spent every day thinking about how to survive until the next day,” she said Zolote became a flashpoint for clashes between the Kyiv forces and separatists when the conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine in the wake of Russia's annexation of Crimea The town of around 14,000 inhabitants is now divided into five parts – four controlled by the Kyiv government and one by separatists Smoke is billowing from a chimney a few houses away from Kovaleva’s property A man has to protect his home,” said the oldest of the soldiers when asked about a possible Russian invasion the world seems to have forgotten the horrors of the war in eastern Ukraine “Fifty-fifty,” a Ukrainian intelligence officer told several friends who called him to ask if the country will have to go to war again The security services of the world’s major powers can also only guess if Russia which amassed some 130,000 troops on Ukraine’s border last year which perceives the potential deployment of NATO troops close to its borders as a security threat including a guarantee that Ukraine will never join the Alliance The US and NATO responses did not seem satisfying to Russia and the western allies now await the Kremlin's next steps with concern some also think that a recent decrease in ceasefire violations in the eastern part of the country is a sign of waiting to see how the situation will unfold “It feels like everyone is waiting to see what happens now,” said the Ukrainian military intelligence officer who agreed to speak to BNS on the condition of anonymity The uncertainty is also fuelling speculations about how broadly Russia is willing to ignite a new conflict and what it is actually capable of doing in Ukraine deputy commander of the Pivnich (North) task force says that the Russian forces massed on the Ukrainian border would not be sufficient for a large-scale invasion “We don’t see that their command and control and logistics chains are ready for it,” he said the military build-up allows Moscow to “politically blackmail” Ukraine and exert pressure on its political and economic life Ukraine also says that it is now better prepared than in 2014 when it had only 5,000 combat-ready troops its Armed Forces now consist of 250,000 professional soldiers and hundreds of thousands of reservists Ukraine is getting ready for a large-scale conflict with Russia Many people in eastern Ukraine are hesitant about the looming Russian threat or which side to support What matters is that the country’s territories are united again but we don’t want that,” said Natalia Usinova The woman believes that talks about a new war are attempts by politicians to pull the wool over people's eyes We know there will be no war,” Usinova said “[The threat of war] has been created artificially to mislead people so that they don’t think about the real problems But Eduard Kirillov says he will flee if war breaks out in Ukraine just like he did a few years ago when he fled separatist-held territories The resident of Hirske also doubts that Ukraine could ever be united again “Things could only change with a change of generations,” Kirillov said “The other side just doesn’t want that now; they’ve been zombified by the Russian media.” It’s even worse than in Soviet times,” he added The boundary between the government-controlled areas and those under separatists’ rule has been settled for some time now But the war for the residents’ hearts and minds continues Officials in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions say they have invested in new roads as well as homes for those made homeless by the war around 11 billion Ukrainian hryvnias (350 million euros) have been invested in the Luhansk region’s infrastructure over the past two years Russia has also promised a better life for local people on the other side of the contact line saying it will spend more than 10 billion euros there by 2024 Ukrainians are giving out medicine to people from separatist-held areas There are also Covid-19 testing and vaccination sites But the movement between the territories has decreased sharply in recent years Separatist leaders say this is due to the coronavirus pandemic but Ukrainian officials believe that an “information bubble” is being created on the other side of the contact line to cross the checkpoints and see that life here is better than in the occupied territories,” said Oleksiy Smirnov deputy head of the Luhansk regional state administration tens of thousands of people have fled from the separatist-held territories to those controlled by the Ukrainian government the population in the government-controlled regions has been declining as well because people move to western Ukraine or abroad Kovaleva says she will not leave even if war breaks out again I’m of an age when I’m not afraid anymore,” she said The BNS journalist's trip to Ukraine was paid for by the Academy of Ukrainian Press This had no impact on the content of the news report