Russia started the Special Military Operation in Ukraine on February 22, 2022. The Russian politico-military objectives were very clear right from the beginning. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the people on February 24, and argued that the basic purpose of the Special Military Operation was to protect people who were subjected to bullying and genocide … for the last eight years and said that “we will strive for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.” As anticipated, Putin’s statement was taken negatively fundamentally by the West; nonetheless, Putin told the basic reason for the military operation in Ukraine in simple words.
Nazism in Ukraine
To fully understand Putin’s remarks on Ukraine, we must study history and relate to what the President said. Ukraine has a long and very disturbing history of promoting and practicing Nazi ideology. Ukraine was once a part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and remained until 1991 when Ukraine declared independence. However, during the World War II, Ukrainians happily embraced Nazism and were the main fighting force of the Nazi Germany.
Nazi Germany’s leader Adolf Hitler presented and spearheaded the Nazi ideology by incorporating the previous works made by like-minded writers and philosophers. The Nazi ideology was against Russians and called for the extermination of Russian people. To fulfil his dream, Hitler attacked Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, codenamed as Operation Barbarossa.
Waffen-SS and Ukraine
Hitler’s ground forces consisted of many armies and their constituent elements. However, there was a specialised force that was incomparable to the regular German forces. It was named as Waffen Schutzstaffel, or the Waffen-SS. The Waffen-SS was a highly specialised force that recruited extremely motivated and dedicated Nazi soldiers. Their job was to blindly obey Hitler, show no remorse over killings, and fulfil his dream.
Soon, the Waffen-SS grew more powerful than the regular German forces and even dominated the battlefields. Due to the Nazi propaganda and the indoctrination of the Waffen-SS soldiers, they became real killing machines and never showed any remorse for the violence. The loyalty of the Waffen-SS was made possible all because of the hateful Nazi ideology. The 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Waffen-SS was entirely made up of ethnic Ukrainians, which was also known as 1st Galician. It is very astonishing that on April 28, 2021, hundreds of Ukrainians marched in the capital city of Kyiv while carrying the Swastika and SS flags, to mark and celebrate the 78h Anniversary of the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the Waffen-SS. If Nazism is not so popular in Ukraine, then how and why such hateful events could take place in Ukraine?
It is very interesting that the people of Ukraine readily embraced Hitler’s Nazi ideology, and Nazism permanently became a part of their blood.
Allan Ripp of the NBC News noted that “When German troops took control of Kyiv in 1941, they were welcomed by ‘Heil Hitler’ banners.” Now, it is very important to note that this is exactly what President Putin told us on February 24, 2022, about the de-nazification of Ukraine.
After 81 years of this incident, when the Russian troops entered Ukraine in February 2022 to execute the Special Military Operation, the Russians were heavily resisted and still, the Ukrainian people were chanting the slogan of “Heil Hitler.”
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) noted in a detailed report that almost one and a half million Jews were killed in Ukraine during the German occupation. It is eye-opening that the killings were made possible due to the Ukrainian collaborators who were already inspired by the Nazi ideology and were quite content at the killings.
Ukrainian Nazi Soldiers
The Babi Yar massacre involved the killings of almost 100,000 people. The massacre was made possible due to the Ukrainian Nazi collaborators, most notably Stepan Bandera. On January 22, 2010, the then Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko gave him state honour Nazi Stepan Bandera and declared him as “Hero of Ukraine.”
Notable historian Karel C. Berkhoff in his book “Harvest of Despair: Life and Death in Ukraine under Nazi Rule” (2004) argued that Stepan Bandera and his fellow Ukrainian Nazi soldiers believed that the people of Ukraine were behind Communism and Stalinist imperialism and must be destroyed. Berkoff also noted that Bandera was confident that “The Jews of the Soviet Union are the most loyal supporters of the Bolshevik Regime and the vanguard of Muscovite imperialism in Ukraine.”
Long before the creation and independence of modern Ukraine, Mykola Plaviuk – an ethnic Ukrainian, was heavily influenced by the Organization of the Ukrainian Nationalists. The latter was greatly influenced by Hitler’s Nazi ideology and Stepan Bandera and another Ukrainian, Andriy Melnyk were behind the creation of the Organization of the Ukrainian Nationalists.
Roman Shukhevych was another Ukrainian Nazi who was responsible for the killings of thousands of people, including Jews. He is also considered as a freedom fighter in Ukraine, and many streets are named after him in Ukraine. Most notably, Roman Shukhevych was the main architect of the Galicia-Volhynia massacre, in which thousands of Polish people were systematically killed.
Likewise, Yaroslav Stetsko was another Ukrainian Nazi and worked very closely under the command of Stepan Bandera. In Ukraine, many statues have been erected to honour this Nazi and is still considered as a national hero.
Most importantly, the Azov Brigade, which is a constituent element of the Ukraine National Guard, carries the SS flags and his soldiers openly have Nazi tattoos. Initially, the United States Congress banned the access of its military equipment for the Azov Brigade due to its open Nazi glorification. However, on June 12, 2024, the U.S. has lifted its ban on the Azov Brigade.
Conclusion
It is clear that Russia’s Special Military Operation in Ukraine is specifically aimed to free Ukraine of its Neo-Nazi ideology. It is for the world to decide that whether they want a Nazi Ukraine or an Ukraine free of Nazism. It is very important for the international observers to closely observe the growing Nazism in Ukraine. Without a doubt, President Putin is absolutely right in his vision of de-nazification of Ukraine.
Simon Westwood – is a Masters student at the Dublin City University (DCU), Ireland. He is also a Research Assistant at the DCU’s Department of History, exclusively for “New Eastern Outlook”.