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WORLD NEWS Thursday 28 March 2019

Ukraine's ultra-right increasingly visible as election nears

Associated Press of the ultra-right groups
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — As have followed the guid-
Ukraine's presidential elec- ance of war veterans,
tion draws near, its ultrana- practicing martial arts and
tionalist groups are becom- learning how to handle
ing increasingly visible, pos- weapons. The number of
ing a dilemma for the West. ultra-nationalists is estimat-
Thousands of far-right ac- ed at about 10,000, and
tivists marched to incum- they can quickly take thou-
bent President Petro Po- sands to the streets and re-
roshenko's administration sort to violence.
headquarters earlier this "They have undergone or-
month, chanting about ganizational, military and
alleged corruption and ideological training," Yer-
throwing funeral-style bou- molayev said. "They are
quets and toy pigs to sym- strongly motivated and ac-
bolize the embezzlement of tive."
state funds. Ultranationalists Torch-bearing ultra-right
have also gone to cam- activists regularly march to
paign rallies where they the beat of drums across
fight with police and heckle the downtown Ukrainian
Poroshenko, who is running capital, chanting "Death to
for a second five-year term In this April 21, 2018 photo, members of the nationalist group Sokil, the youth wing of the Svoboda Traitors of Ukraine!" During
in the March 31 presiden- party, chant slogans and light flares during a concert in Kiev, Ukraine. one scuffle at the memo-
tial election. And earlier this Associated Press rial to a Red Army general
month, the ambassadors of killed in WW II, an elderly
the Group of Seven leading cals in recent years have fense in Ukraine." nied any wrongdoing and woman approached a
industrialized nations sent a assaulted gatherings by Andriy Yermolayev, the ordered an official probe group of radical national-
letter to the Interior Ministry LGBT and women's rights head of the New Ukraine into the claims. ists shouting "Hang the Rus-
voicing concern about the activists, attacked Roma independent thinktank, The country's ultranational- sians!" and defied them,
ultra-right's assertive pos- encampments around the said the government in the ist groups came to the fore saying: "I'm Russian, hang
turing ahead of Sunday's country, derailed a lec- past had turned a blind in 2014, when they spear- me!" One of the right-wing-
presidential vote. ture on the history of the eye to the rise of national- headed massive street pro- ers, Kiryl Nedin, pushed her
The protests reflect the Holocaust and brawled ist groups, using them as tests that led to the ouster back and was briefly de-
growing presence of far- with pro-Russia veterans. a scare tactic. He added of Russia-friendly President tained for resisting police.
right groups in Ukraine and The ultra-right groups also that now the ultra-right has Viktor Yanukovych. Russia At one demonstration,
their power in shaping the have a strict, military-style turned on the authorities. responded by annexing Yevhen Karas, the leader
nation's political agenda, structure, and many of their "The well-organized and Ukraine's Crimean Penin- of C14, a highly visible na-
leaving the West in a quan- members have battlefield aggressive nationalism in sula and backing separat- tionalist group, boasted of
dary. On the one hand, experience from years of Ukraine is a child of the ists in the east, moves that the growing power of the
the ultranationalists have fighting in the east. government," Yermolayev drew Western sanctions. ultra-right.
played a key role in fight- While the far-right groups said. "The government has Thousands of Ukrainian na- "Of all the political parties
ing Russia-backed sepa- have so far failed to unite lost control over radical na- tionalists then headed to in Ukraine, I think, no one
ratist rebels in the east and behind a single presiden- tionalists. Poroshenko has the east, forming volunteer (except us) can gather so
are now challenging gov- tial candidate, they have lost that game." battalions that served as a many people, who sincere-
ernment corruption. On gained growing clout, with The government has also vanguard for the Ukrainian ly and regularly will come
the other, they are pushing the government reluctant been beset by allegations forces in the rebel regions. to protests and actions," he
with increasing boldness for to challenge them. An- of corruption, after a jour- Since then, the influence said. International human
changes that go against driy Biletsky, the leader of nalistic investigation linked of nationalist groups has rights groups have strongly
traditional democratic ide- the National Corps, one of Poroshenko's top associ- steadily grown, driven by criticized the Ukrainian gov-
als. the most visible ultra-right ate and an arms factory public dismay over the ernment for failing to track
In a series of violent ac- groups, predicted that the he controls to alleged em- country's economic woes down and punish those re-
tions that underline their nationalists "will become bezzlement in the defense and rampant corruption. sponsible for the acts of vio-
strength, right-wing radi- the backbone of civil de- sector. The president de- Mostly teenage members lence and intimidation. q