Oleh Kotsiuba, Director of Print and Digital Publications at the Ukrainian Research Institute, Harvard University, expressed his “disappointment” over the Open Letter in My Defense against the organized far-right attacks sanctioned by the Bankova.
One of his arguments is that if the Letter was not signed by prominent scholars of the far right in Ukraine (such as Anton Shekhovtsov, Andreas Umland, Oleksandr Zaitsev, and others), then it de facto discredits my expertise.
So, I would like to ask Oleh and the scholars he mentioned: Have they ever, after 2022, written or spoken about the following? :
🎯That certain units in the Ukrainian Armed Forces openly use Nazi symbols (Dirlewanger – 3rd Assault Brigade, SS bolts – “Vedmedi” [36th Marine Brigade], Totenkopf – Carpathian Sich, Nazi Eagle - Luftwaffe (422)).
🎯That in 2023, the Nachtigall Unit appeared within the UAF, honoring the Nazi collaborationist Nachtigall Battalion, which was involved in anti-Jewish pogroms in Vinnytsia Oblast in 1941.
🎯That the 3rd Assault Brigade organized an exhibition glorifying the Waffen SS Galicia Division, which the Ukrainian government even brought to Lithuania.
🎯That the “German Volunteer Corps,” which includes neo-Nazis led by Stepan Kind, was integrated into the UAF despite their Telegram channel being filled with openly antisemitic, neo-Nazi, racist, and homophobic content.
🎯That a conference of neo-Nazi and fascist organizations (including Der Dritte Weg and Casa Pound), held in Lviv in August 2024, was likely facilitated and sanctioned by the SBU and GUR.
🎯That the so-called Tesak group (Russian neo-Nazis) is present within the RDK and the 3rd Assault Brigade — including in command positions.
...
Quite a few experts on far-right movements in Europe stopped “seeing” 🇺🇦extreme right after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. They likely do so for a variety of reasons — ideological, opportunistic, personal or otherwise.
But their conspicuous silence does not mean that my expertise should be dismissed — especially by those who have never studied the far right in Ukraine and who do not receive death threats from its leaders.
I am grateful to all who support me in my struggle for truth, free speech and human rights over nationalism. If you would like to sign the Letter, follow the link in the comment.