“Russophobia turned out to be a profitable business”: the premiere of the film “Raised by Fascism” at RTD

There is a misconception that Ukrainian neo-Nazism is a random and not particularly widespread phenomenon.

However, purposeful work to nurture nationalist organizations, their combat and ideological training was carried out for years - and long before the events of 2014.

In the new RTD film Raised by Fascism, experts, politicians and witnesses of the events will talk about how Nazism in Ukraine was revived in the 21st century.  

Ukraine is not Russia

In 2003, the book of the ex-president of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma "Ukraine is not Russia" saw the light of day.

It outlined the politician's views on the history of the country, the events of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

A separate emphasis was placed on the differences between the Russian and Ukrainian peoples, their national characters and traits.

What began as a rejection of common roots eventually took the form of Nazi self-exaltation.

“Ukraine, having once announced through the mouth of President Kuchma that it is not Russia, suddenly claimed some ideological forces that told it that Ukraine is not only not Russia, it is much higher than Russia.

And Russia itself is something wretched, in need of re-education,” says Iskander Khisamov, editor-in-chief of the online publication Ukraina.ru.

The glorification of the Nazi criminals Bandera and Shukhevych, the massive use of fascist symbols by paramilitary groups, torchlight processions, the glorification of collaborators and the denigration of the feat of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War - all this became links in one chain and stages of preparation for a conflict with Russia.

“The rewriting of historiography, the indoctrination of the population are necessary conditions before any military operation,” says Alexei Mukhin, director of the political information center.

“This was done in Ukraine to the fullest.”

Indoctrination is carried out not only at the level of politicians and the media.

The Nazis revive the traditions of Nazi Germany and work with children according to the patterns of the Hitler Youth.

The National Battalion "Azov" conducts "patriotic courses" in children's camps.

They include combat and ideological training - the fighters tell their version of history, "as it really was."

Hitler Youth 2.0

“With children, anything is possible, you can say that black is white, and white is black,” says military historian Nikita Buranov.

“These are children, and you will tell them, talk, talk… As a result, they will believe in it, there have been many such experiments.”

The main purpose of such processing is to instill a sense of one's own exclusivity and instill hatred for everything Russian.

Even if the “Russians” turn out to be their own compatriots who do not agree with the results of the armed coup in 2014.

“If you ask how many people were killed in Donbass, you will hear in response: “What?

Someone was killed?

— the German journalist, political figure Christoph Hörstel shares his opinion.

“If we look at what is happening now in social networks and so on… Then this is a real communication war against the Russian people.”

Children in the camps are given commemorative gifts: painted cartridge cases from live shells that killed people in the Donbass.

“These shells were fired at the enemy, so you take with you a piece of what destroyed our enemies,” the Nazis proudly say.

Course towards dehumanization

“One of the characteristic features of the Nazi ideology is the dehumanization of the enemy.

The carrier does not feel any pity, he does not perceive him as an equal human being, he perceives him as a lower being and therefore does not experience any reflection, ”emphasizes Alexander Asafov, political observer, public figure.

But the dismissive attitude is characteristic not only in relation to "strangers".

The lives of ordinary Ukrainians are also not highly valued: during the hostilities, members of the National Battalion do not hesitate to hide behind civilians as a shield and place military equipment in residential areas.

“In the very logic of a Bandera, a partisan-upashnik *, a civilian is not the object of his attention, the object of his protection,” says military historian Nikita Buranov.

“A civilian is a certain means of achieving something for him, as for the “defender of Ukraine.”

For interested forces both in Ukraine and abroad, Russophobia turned out to be a very profitable business.

And the events of the past eight years have been aimed at dehumanizing the Russians and breaking all ties with them.

“These people prepared quite openly, funding was carried out quite widely, and we know all the actors who received all this funding,” notes Alexei Mukhin, director of the political information center.

Read more about the revival of the Nazi ideology in Ukraine, its causes and organizers - in the RTD film Raised by Fascism.

* "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA) is a Ukrainian organization recognized as extremist and banned on the territory of Russia (decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of 11/17/2014).