Ukrainians hold torchlit march to honor WWII Nazi collaborator (VIDEOS)
Hundreds of Ukrainians marched through the center of Lviv bearing torches, flares, and red and black neo-Nazi flags on New Year’s Day.
The event was organized to honor WWII-era nationalist leader and Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera’s birthday.
Videos circulating on social media on Wednesday show a square in the western Ukrainian city lit up with red flares, as men in camouflage marched and shouted “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine).
In one video, a group of marchers are seen carrying Ukrainian flags, the red and black flags of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), as well as a battle standard with Bandera’s face emblazoned on the red and black.
According to Ukrainian outlet Strana, the march was preceded by a concert and prayer near a monument dedicated to the nationalist figure. Bandera, a member of the OUN militant wing, was one of the leaders of the UPA during WWII. They allied with the invading Nazi Germans to conduct massacres of Poles, Jews, Russians, and Ukrainians they accused of collaborating with the Soviets.
Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko declared Bandera and the UPA national heroes in 2010. This was reaffirmed by the government installed following the US-backed coup in 2014. Since then, Ukrainian nationalists have held torchlit marches every January to mark Bandera’s birthday, calling him the “father of the nation.” The OUN’s rallying cry and its red and black flag was adopted by neo-Nazi groups in modern Ukraine.
Moscow has accused the current Ukrainian government of embracing Nazi ideology and allowing the West turn their country into an enemy and threat to Russia. The Kremlin has listed the denazification of Ukraine as one of the key objectives of its military operation, as well as demilitarization and neutrality.
