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Russia criticizes Austria over Ukrainian ultra-nationalist march
(MENAFN) Russia’s embassy in Austria criticized Vienna on Friday for what it described as tacit approval of a march by Ukrainian ultra-nationalists commemorating Stepan Bandera’s birthday.
Bandera, convicted in Poland for plotting to assassinate the interior minister, was later freed by Nazi authorities and collaborated with them during World War II, aiming to establish a Ukrainian state aligned with Germany.
In a statement, the Russian embassy expressed “nothing but deep disgust” at the demonstration, calling it a provocative display by a “handful” of Ukrainian radicals in Austria celebrating “a Nazi accomplice” and “war criminal” in central Vienna. The embassy argued that the event “constitutes a direct insult to the memory of the victims of Nazism and a blatant challenge to public morality” and lodged a formal protest with Austria’s foreign ministry, emphasizing that even fringe neo-Nazi displays should not be encouraged.
Social media footage showed participants carrying Ukrainian flags, banners of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), and portraits of Bandera. Ukrainian nationalists often mark Bandera’s birthday in various cities, including EU capitals. In Vienna, similar marches were held in 2023 and 2024, with the previous event drawing about 100 participants who marched from the parliament to the Russian embassy, according to local reports.
Bandera’s followers, including the OUN-B and later the UPA, were responsible for mass atrocities during World War II, including the killing of 60,000–100,000 Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, and taking part in the Holocaust. Despite this, he was declared a national hero in 2010 by then-President Viktor Yushchenko and later recognized in 2014 as a “fighter for Ukrainian independence” after the Euromaidan protests.
Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of glorifying Nazi collaborators and promoting neo-Nazi ideology, and has criticized EU countries for overlooking such movements, emphasizing that “denazification” remains a central goal of its ongoing military operations.
Bandera, convicted in Poland for plotting to assassinate the interior minister, was later freed by Nazi authorities and collaborated with them during World War II, aiming to establish a Ukrainian state aligned with Germany.
In a statement, the Russian embassy expressed “nothing but deep disgust” at the demonstration, calling it a provocative display by a “handful” of Ukrainian radicals in Austria celebrating “a Nazi accomplice” and “war criminal” in central Vienna. The embassy argued that the event “constitutes a direct insult to the memory of the victims of Nazism and a blatant challenge to public morality” and lodged a formal protest with Austria’s foreign ministry, emphasizing that even fringe neo-Nazi displays should not be encouraged.
Social media footage showed participants carrying Ukrainian flags, banners of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), and portraits of Bandera. Ukrainian nationalists often mark Bandera’s birthday in various cities, including EU capitals. In Vienna, similar marches were held in 2023 and 2024, with the previous event drawing about 100 participants who marched from the parliament to the Russian embassy, according to local reports.
Bandera’s followers, including the OUN-B and later the UPA, were responsible for mass atrocities during World War II, including the killing of 60,000–100,000 Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, and taking part in the Holocaust. Despite this, he was declared a national hero in 2010 by then-President Viktor Yushchenko and later recognized in 2014 as a “fighter for Ukrainian independence” after the Euromaidan protests.
Russia has repeatedly accused Ukraine of glorifying Nazi collaborators and promoting neo-Nazi ideology, and has criticized EU countries for overlooking such movements, emphasizing that “denazification” remains a central goal of its ongoing military operations.
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