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Russian Nationalists To Stage Marches To Mark Unity Day Holiday

Rogue Valley

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Russian Nationalists To Stage Marches To Mark Unity Day Holiday

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Russian nationalists giving the Nazi salute in Moscow. Nationalism is encouraged by the Putin regime.

11/4/19
Nationalist groups are set to hold demonstrations in Moscow and a handful of other Russian cities, as the country marks the annual National Unity Day holiday. The holiday, held November 4, was established in 2005 by President Vladimir Putin as a replacement for Soviet-era commemorations of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Russian officials have tried to promote the holiday, which formally marks a battlefield victory over Polish forces in 1612, as a way to bolster patriotism. Right-wing, nationalist, and monarchist groups have used the day to stage xenophobic and anti-immigrant marches, and past holidays have seen scuffles between protesters and riot police.

In Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin for the first time refused to issue a permit to organizers of the nationalist "Russian March." His office issued a permit for a demonstration in the same location but under a different slogan: "Right March." A poll by the state-funded Russian Public Opinion Research Center published on October 31 found that 37 percent of Russians believe in "national unity," while 54 percent of respondents disagree.

Racist, bigoted against the LGBT community, and xenophobic. Such right-wingnuts can be found in virtually every country.
 
It's been on a steep decline since WW-II, but it looks like the scourge of nationalism is on the rise again. Is Trump's a protagonist? Or, is he merely the result? I think both.
 
Is Trump's a protagonist? Or, is he merely the result? I think both.

I agree. Trump advances nationalism/white-nationalism (MAGA) within the US and is kindred with authoritarians/nationalists abroad.

Trump played on and continues to play on the fears/racism of US whites regarding the numerical ascendance of American poc.
 
I agree. Trump advances nationalism/white-nationalism (MAGA) within the US and is kindred with authoritarians/nationalists abroad.

Trump played on and continues to play on the fears/racism of US whites regarding the numerical ascendance of American poc.
Yep. Truly despicable.
 
Of course nationalism is promoted by Putin; he's a fascist.
 
Of course nationalism is promoted by Putin; he's a fascist.

Putin does not discourage his far-right nationalist Russians. He finds useful projects for them.
 
Putin does not discourage his far-right nationalist Russians. He finds useful projects for them.

How is Putin not a far right nationalist? Last I heard, people were in the street about his gutting state pensions.
 
But we don’t have Neo Nazi militias running around as part of our military, which does put us up on some places.

And which, of course, raises the question of what your point is.

Which militaries? Let's see what you actually know and what is your favored propaganda.
 
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Russian and Nazi forces celebrating the dismemberment of Poland in 1939.

They held a parade together.
 
The fact that the Azov “Battalion” has been allowed to operate, for instance.

The Azov was ordered disbanded in 2016 after Ukraine instituted national conscription. Try again.
 

Only superficially. In 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea and eastern Ukraine, the Ukraine military was in a terrible state and could muster only ~6,000 soldiers with any training. It was decided to have this force (ragged as it was) protect Kyiv. Russia had positioned ~75,000 troops on Ukraine's eastern border and controlled the border. The Russian invasion was an existential threat to Ukraine (recall the Russian plans for a Novorossiya). Into this vacuum went two volunteer battalions (Donbass and Azov) of primarily Russian speakers from eastern Ukraine who did not want to see the country partitioned by Moscow. Another volunteer battalion from western Ukraine (Red Sektor) was composed of mostly far-right Ukraine nationalists. These three volunteer battalions suffered heavy casualties (up to 1,000 at Illovaisk alone) but stemmed the Kremlin invasion and designs on partitioning Ukraine at the Dneiper River (approx. 50% of Ukraine). The Azov recaptured the major city of Mariupol (450,000) from Russian forces and Donbass recaptured Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, etc.

Two separate reports from the OSCE (official eastern Ukraine monitor) identified a handful of unverified accusations of torture by the Azov Battalion between 2014-2015. In 2016 the Donbass and Azov battalions were rolled into the Ukraine National Guard. Other volunteer battalions that were incorporated into the UA included the Aidar and the Dnipro battalions. All Red Sektor forces were excluded and play no role today in the defense of Ukraine. In 2016 Ukraine also introduced military conscription. It was decided then to leave the seasoned Donbass, Azov, Aidar, and Dnipro regiments and battalions face the Russians in the east, as new conscript regiments and battalions were trained by NATO instructors (US/Canada/Britain/Lithuania/Latvia/Poland) at the Yavovriv Combat Training Center at Yavovriv, western Ukraine. In 2019 the Ukraine armed forces total 255,000 active with 1,000,000 in reserve. There are also ~15,000 contract soldiers. 65,000 UA troops are assigned to the eastern Ukraine ATO which includes the battalions mentioned above and additional mechanized battalions and naval forces.

Almost constantly, government officials from the US and the EU (block/nations) visit Ukraine and tour the ATO. The same is true of western military brass and NATO instructors. Currently, elements of the 101st Airborne Division are in Ukraine on a Yavovriv CTC rotation. Elements of the US and British militaries visit the ATO to learn firsthand Russian land war doctrine and tactics. None of this would be transpiring if Nazis were running around. Nazis in Ukraine is a common theme of Kremlin disinformation. Yet the data from Ukraine elections from 2014-2019 show that far-right candidates garner <2% of the nationwide vote and not enough for party representation in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament). There are currently no far-right MPs sitting in Ukraine's parliament. Contrast this with the 40 Deputies of the Liberal Democratic Party of Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the Russian State Duma. The LDPR is far-right and ultra-nationalist.
 
Only superficially. In 2014 when Russia invaded Crimea and eastern Ukraine, the Ukraine military was in a terrible state and could muster only ~6,000 soldiers with any training. It was decided to have this force (ragged as it was) protect Kyiv. Russia had positioned ~75,000 troops on Ukraine's eastern border and controlled the border. The Russian invasion was an existential threat to Ukraine (recall the Russian plans for a Novorossiya). Into this vacuum went two volunteer battalions (Donbass and Azov) of primarily Russian speakers from eastern Ukraine who did not want to see the country partitioned by Moscow. Another volunteer battalion from western Ukraine (Red Sektor) was composed of mostly far-right Ukraine nationalists. These three volunteer battalions suffered heavy casualties (up to 1,000 at Illovaisk alone) but stemmed the Kremlin invasion and designs on partitioning Ukraine at the Dneiper River (approx. 50% of Ukraine). The Azov recaptured the major city of Mariupol (450,000) from Russian forces and Donbass recaptured Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, etc.

Two separate reports from the OSCE (official eastern Ukraine monitor) identified a handful of unverified accusations of torture by the Azov Battalion between 2014-2015. In 2016 the Donbass and Azov battalions were rolled into the Ukraine National Guard. Other volunteer battalions that were incorporated into the UA included the Aidar and the Dnipro battalions. All Red Sektor forces were excluded and play no role today in the defense of Ukraine. In 2016 Ukraine also introduced military conscription. It was decided then to leave the seasoned Donbass, Azov, Aidar, and Dnipro regiments and battalions face the Russians in the east, as new conscript regiments and battalions were trained by NATO instructors (US/Canada/Britain/Lithuania/Latvia/Poland) at the Yavovriv Combat Training Center at Yavovriv, western Ukraine. In 2019 the Ukraine armed forces total 255,000 active with 1,000,000 in reserve. There are also ~15,000 contract soldiers. 65,000 UA troops are assigned to the eastern Ukraine ATO which includes the battalions mentioned above and additional mechanized battalions and naval forces.

Almost constantly, government officials from the US and the EU (block/nations) visit Ukraine and tour the ATO. The same is true of western military brass and NATO instructors. Currently, elements of the 101st Airborne Division are in Ukraine on a Yavovriv CTC rotation. Elements of the US and British militaries visit the ATO to learn firsthand Russian land war doctrine and tactics. None of this would be transpiring if Nazis were running around. Nazis in Ukraine is a common theme of Kremlin disinformation. Yet the data from Ukraine elections from 2014-2019 show that far-right candidates garner <2% of the nationwide vote and not enough for party representation in the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament). There are currently no far-right MPs sitting in Ukraine's parliament. Contrast this with the 40 Deputies of the Liberal Democratic Party of Vladimir Zhirinovsky in the Russian State Duma. The LDPR is far-right and ultra-nationalist.


...which is the whole point of said House Democrats demanding that the Azov Battalion be listed as terrorists—to prevent US troops from training the folks who literally use the wolfsangel as a logo.

The wolfsangel, in case you forgot, was used quite heavily indeed by SS units such as 2nd SS Panzer Division “Das Reich” and the 4th SS Polizei Panzergrenadier Division.

So in other words the Azov Battalion has not, in fact, been disbanded and Ukraine is letting Neo-Nazis running around with full state backing because they are “experienced”. Perhaps if Ukraine wanted to avoid Russian propaganda pointing out that there are nazis running around there, they should, gee, get rid of the ****ing Nazis they’ve got running around.
 
So in other words the Azov Battalion has not, in fact, been disbanded and Ukraine is letting Neo-Nazis running around with full state backing because they are “experienced”. Perhaps if Ukraine wanted to avoid Russian propaganda pointing out that there are nazis running around there, they should, gee, get rid of the ****ing Nazis they’ve got running around.

You see Nazis literally everywhere except in your own back yard.
 
But we don’t have Neo Nazi militias running around as part of our military, which does put us up on some places.

Uh, I mean we might as well when we allow arms dealers and crony ultra-capitalist extremists to meddle in the US intelligence community and foreign policy apparatus...

Also I notice while you correctly acknowledge the existence of Neo-Nazis in Ukraine, you incorrectly try to whitewash US/Western role in the rise of those militia in the first place...
 
Uh, I mean we might as well when we allow arms dealers and crony ultra-capitalist extremists to meddle in the US intelligence community and foreign policy apparatus...

Also I notice while you correctly acknowledge the existence of Neo-Nazis in Ukraine, you incorrectly try to whitewash US/Western role in the rise of those militia in the first place...

Ukraine is no exception. There are neo-Nazis in every Western country. Well, maybe not the Vatican (but the Vatican did provide the documentation for thousands of Nazis to flee Europe after WWII)

I shared lunch with some platoons of the Azov battalion back in 2014. If they were neo-Nazis, it sure didn't sound like it. Most were Russian-speaking Ukrainians who were native to the Donbas region (Luhansk/Donetsk) and were determined to defend Ukraine and drive the Russian military invaders back across the border. There were also Jewish members of the Azov. Red Sector (Pravyi Sektor) is another animal entirely. They were indeed neo-Nazis. When Dmytro Yarosh left Red Sector in 2015, the organization pretty much folded. The far-right nationalist organizations in Ukraine today include the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Svoboda (Freedom), and C14. The Azov Battalion? No. Any existent far-right ideology has been diluted since 2016 when it became just another military battalion in the UA. What amuses me is the drumbeat of "Ukrainian Nazis" by the Kremlin gets folks into a tizzy when it is in fact Moscow that is responsible for 13,000+dead, 25,000+wounded, and 1.5 million displaced war refugees in Ukraine.
 
You see Nazis literally everywhere except in your own back yard.

Ah yes, and now you are throwing a tantrum because you don’t want to face facts. I hate to break it to you but “I talked to them and they didn’t sound like Nazis to me durr” is not evidence of anything.

Letting Neo Nazi thugs run around as part of your military is not something which should be tolerated period....nor should collaborators be celebrated as heroes.
 
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