Why is the country that defeated Nazism shy of its past? Is it possible to tarnish the historical truth in the heat of the struggle with Russia? Klymenko Time understood this.

 The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution «on combating the glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other types of practices that contribute to inciting racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance.» The document was supported by 122 countries, 53 abstained, while Ukraine and the United States opposed it.

The resolution was adopted at the initiative of Russia. But more than two dozen states are co-authors of the document under the auspices of the UN.

The resolution expresses «concern about the glorification of the Nazi movement, the glorification of former members of the Waffen-SS organization … … in the form of erecting monuments and memorials, holding public demonstrations … … in order to illuminate the Nazi past and the Nazi present.»

 According to the US representative to the UN, the resolution condemning Nazism is «an insidious weapon of Russia, which seeks to denigrate neighboring states under the cynical cover of fighting the glorification of Nazism.»

 Ukraine’s representative to the UN accused the authors of the resolution of «manipulating history», «interfering in the internal affairs of states», as well as «using the General Assembly as a propaganda tool in order to cover up aggressive international policy.»

This is not the first time this situation has occurred. Last year, the UN also supported a resolution against the glorification of Nazism, and also only 2 countries said “no” — the United States and Ukraine.

History of the Second World War for Ukraine

Two and a half million Ukrainians were awarded with Soviet military awards. More than two thousand of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Including three times Hero — Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub.

Soviet Ukrainians fought on all fronts and took part in all major battles of World War II. The honorary title «Hero City» was awarded to Kiev, Odessa, Kerch and Sevastopol.

The troops of the First Ukrainian Front liberated Polish lands from the Nazi occupiers, and then stormed Berlin, conducting the Prague operation and completing the defeat of Nazi Germany.

When the war in Europe was already over, the troops of the Second Ukrainian Front took part in the defeat of the Japanese army. At the front alone, 1 million 300 thousand Ukrainians were killed. And all the dead Soviet Ukrainians — more than 8 million.

 With such a historical legacy, our current government is voting against the resolution on the fight against the glorification of Nazism.

It is doubly surprising that today’s first person of Ukraine comes from a Soviet Jewish family, whose grandfather commanded a mortar platoon and a rifle company, and the Red Army soldier Semyon Ivanovich Zelensky was awarded two Orders of the Red Star for his exploits.

The special attention of today’s authorities is the SS division «Galicia». They began to glorify her immediately after the 2nd Maidan, when the Institute of National Memory appeared. Then it was headed by the decommunizer Vladimir Vyatrovich.

At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law banning communist and Nazi symbols. True, Ukrainian politicians of a pro-Maidan style bypassed the second part of the law’s title. They focused on the prohibition of exactly communist symbols, but forgot about Nazism.

 Ukrainian cities and villages were thoroughly cleared of the Soviet communist heritage. By August 2017, in the framework of decommunization, more than 2 thousand monuments to Lenin were dismantled in Ukraine.

However, after all the Ilyichs were knocked down, people, ordinary Ukrainians, had a reasonable question: what about the fight against the symbols of Nazism?

Division SS «Galicia» in Ukraine

The same «Galicia» clearly falls under the law banning communist and Nazi symbols. This division was formed in the structure of the SS — recognized by the results of Nuremberg as a «criminal organization».

SS «Galicia» was created by personal order of Hitler. And her symbolism is appropriate, purely SS.

Vladimir Vyatrovich remained adamant. In his opinion, the SS Galicia division fought for Ukrainian independence and symbolizes «good» and «justice», although historical facts suggest otherwise.

In April 1943, the ceremony of creating the SS Galicia division was held in Lvov. The governor and future SS Gruppenführer Otto Wächter was personally present in the building of the occupation administration — the Galicia district.

The Ukrainian SS division was led exclusively by German officers, who also recruited people. In fact, it was a combat unit of the Third Reich. For example, SS Reichsfuehrer Heinrich Himmler welcomes the SS Division of Galicia.

In Lvov and other cities and villages of Western Ukraine, the Nazi division was glorified and glorified at the official level. Monuments, memorials are protected, marches are organized in honor of the SS division.

During the presidency of Poroshenko, accusations were made of the USSR of involvement in the Holocaust. Ukrainian schoolchildren were taken to the graves of the heroes of the SS units.

 Today the government is different, but the methods are the same. Is the victory of the Soviet army a personal historical defeat for the Ukrainian authorities?

Gleb Lyashenko, klymenko-time