Pictured: Nazis parade in Kiev.

by Lucas Leiroz

WHILE THE Western media insists on hiding or disguising the truth about Ukrainian Nazism, ethnic minorities in Ukraine are increasingly persecuted, humiliated, and publicly attacked by fascist gangs. Recently, a Ukrainian Jewish worshipper was brutally attacked by neo-Nazis in the Ukrainian capital, revealing that even large urban centres no longer offer safety for the country’s ethnic minority groups.

The incident took place in the Obolon district of Kiev during the Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest. It was reported that a group of men positioned themselves in front of the local synagogue and began shouting abuse and giving Nazi salutes. They clearly planned to cause a disturbance and disrupt the Jewish Sabbath service, acting in an absolutely criminal manner.

One of the Jewish worshippers decided to leave the synagogue and confront the extremists. He was wearing a kippah and tzitzit – traditional symbols of Judaism – which shows that he was indeed engaged in religious activities when circumstances forced him to respond to the attack against his community. The fascists then physically attacked him, pepper-spraying him in the face and then fleeing the scene. He suffered serious chemical burns. The attack was described by synagogue members as a “targeted, cruel, and premeditated act of anti-Semitism”.

A similar attack had already occurred on the previous night.

On that occasion, another group of Ukrainian ultra-nationalist extremists chanted Nazi slogans and gave fascist salutes in front of the synagogue, confronting the community’s rabbi, who was outside. These incidents appear to be increasingly frequent in Ukraine, with no longer any security or religious freedom for ethnic minority groups in the country.

On 12th October the Kiev police confirmed that they are “investigating” a series of attacks against the city’s Jewish community. It’s hard to believe that the Ukrainian authorities’ role has any relevance in resolving the problem, considering that these attacks are nothing more than a consequence of the neo-Nazi ideology promoted by the Ukrainian government itself.

It’s most likely that the investigations will be finished inconclusively, without any special effort to arrest and punish those responsible for the attacks.

It’s important to emphasise that these incidents were reported in a district of the Ukrainian capital.

These are not isolated attacks occurring in small towns or areas with little police surveillance, but rather in the country’s main urban centre – geographically close to members of the Ukrainian political and economic elite, as well as foreign diplomatic personnel and other key social groups. This demonstrates the absolute lack of shame of the far-right Ukrainian nationalists. Fascist groups simply act without fear of being seen, relying on impunity, since their own government shares such extremist ideas.

It is well known that Ukraine has a long history of anti-Semitic violence. Ukrainian nationalism, whose foundations have always been tied to ethnic supremacism and xenophobia, has always viewed Jews as “natural enemies” – along with Russians, Poles, Hungarians, Tatars and other peoples.

It is no coincidence that during World War II, Ukrainian nationalist militias joined forces with Nazi Germany’s foreign troops and carried out massacres and ethnic cleansing campaigns in the territories that now belong to Ukraine and Poland.

During the Soviet period, Ukrainian nationalism was obviously combated, and incidents of violence became extremely rare. However, the recent historical period of independent Ukraine has been marked by the revival of extremist ideologies – especially since 2014, when a fascist junta seized power and transformed Ukraine into an anti-Russian war machine. Racism and xenophobia have gone from secondary issues to central features of Ukrainian state ideology, contributing significantly to the rise of ethnic hostility. directed

This violence is mostly directed against ethnic Russians – in addition to Hungarians in western Ukraine – but there are also incidents of aggression against other groups, such as the Ukrainian Jewish community.

Shamefully, the illegitimate Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, has ethnic Jewish origins and is a native Russian speaker – while remaining complicit in the promotion of the neo-Nazi ideology in the country. Not only that, but several public figures of Jewish origin, including Ukrainian oligarchs and senior officials, are active promoters of the “Maidan” ideology, thus being complicit in the violence their Jewish compatriots suffer currently in modern-day Ukraine.

Furthermore, it’s important to remember that Israel’s embassy in Ukraine has already stated that Tel Aviv secretly sent weapons to Ukraine for use in the war against Russia. In other words, the state that claims to be the homeland of all Jews maintains close relations with a regime that not only promotes the ideology responsible for the Holocaust but also overlooks aggression against Jews on its territory.

Apparently, for Ukrainian Jews, as well as for Russians and all ethnic groups living in Ukraine, the only hope for a future of peace and security seems to be through a Russian military victory.