The volunteer Azov Battalion formed in 2014 as a response to the armed Russian-backed insurgency in Eastern Ukraine. And Azov’s fighters have often been accused of having neo-Nazi sympathies.
Azov seem bad, but also looking into why they were formed: Why was Russia invading Ukraine in 2014? Why did they have a reaso to do that before Azov existed?
The Russians aren’t really attacking Ukraine because of nazis. That’s just Russian propaganda (doesn’t mean it doesn’t have elements of truth to it). The real reason is geopolitical, in that having NATO troops and military infrastructure on the russian-ukrainian border is really bad for Russian national security.
Even as far back as the 1990s prominent figures in the west were predicting that having western troops or equipment in Ukraine would virtually guarantee war, and that the strategically sensible course of action would be to absorb Russia into the western sphere of influence by accounting for their security concerns instead of ignoring them.
In effect, the Russians saw the expansion of NATO as confirmation that the Cold War wasn’t really over. The tipping point for Russian intervention into Ukraine was the maidan coup, in which the newly installed government took hostile actions against Russian minorities living in Ukraine, especially in the donbass. Whether you believe that the donbass separatists were Russian puppets or not, they cannot be blamed for wanting to separate from what was and still is an objectively racist, neocolonised and neoliberal state.
Not to mention, the eastern Ukrainians had voted for the guy kicked out in the maidan coup and were pissed.
Hi, I haven’t heard about Ukrainian Nazis, does anybody have a source
Make a custom Google search to give you results before 2022. Some quick examples:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/11/ultranationalism-in-ukraine-a-photo-essay https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30414955 https://www.npr.org/2019/04/17/714413439/right-wing-groups-are-active-in-ukraine-as-country-heads-into-presidential-elect
Also after 2022 western outlets would quite frequently publish articles with Azov and other soldiers having Nazi tattoos etc
Azov seem bad, but also looking into why they were formed: Why was Russia invading Ukraine in 2014? Why did they have a reaso to do that before Azov existed?
The Russians aren’t really attacking Ukraine because of nazis. That’s just Russian propaganda (doesn’t mean it doesn’t have elements of truth to it). The real reason is geopolitical, in that having NATO troops and military infrastructure on the russian-ukrainian border is really bad for Russian national security.
Even as far back as the 1990s prominent figures in the west were predicting that having western troops or equipment in Ukraine would virtually guarantee war, and that the strategically sensible course of action would be to absorb Russia into the western sphere of influence by accounting for their security concerns instead of ignoring them.
https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08MOSCOW265_a.html
In effect, the Russians saw the expansion of NATO as confirmation that the Cold War wasn’t really over. The tipping point for Russian intervention into Ukraine was the maidan coup, in which the newly installed government took hostile actions against Russian minorities living in Ukraine, especially in the donbass. Whether you believe that the donbass separatists were Russian puppets or not, they cannot be blamed for wanting to separate from what was and still is an objectively racist, neocolonised and neoliberal state.
Not to mention, the eastern Ukrainians had voted for the guy kicked out in the maidan coup and were pissed.
the maidan coup also threatened sevastopol, and there’s no fucking way in hell russia’s letting that port go
I don’t have much to add to @sodium_nitride@hexbear.net’s analysis apart from pointing you to Ben Nortons if you’re actually asking in good faith and have the time. It goes into more detail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhajzlhcgSk
Feel free to also use hexbears search feature as there are really good effort posts with a bunch of sourcing to be found there.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy: