Zakharova, IERES, FSWC Exposes Western Instructors Training Ukrainian Neo-Nazis

Western instructors have been actively training Ukrainian neo-Nazis for many years, Maria Zakharova said, citing investigations of the Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at the George Washington University (USA), and Canada's Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre (FSWC) that could not be suspected of sympathizing with Russia.

"We tried to attract our partners’ attention to this subject for several years, in 2013, 2014, 2015 and subsequent years. They did not hear us. This subject is now gaining momentum, including at various human rights NGOs. Maybe these activities will make the international community see that this subject deserves direct attention here and now," she said.

The Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies (IERES) at the George Washington University (USA) has published a report about Western countries helping train far-right extremists in Ukraine.

"We can hardly suspect the George Washington University of sympathising with or having special affection for Russia. It is an American institution and whatever leanings it may have definitely do not include Russia," Zakharova added.

What attracts special attention in this case is the role of Western instructors. The authors of the report are aware of cooperation between NATO experts and the NAA and have also concluded that NAA cadets, including those with far-right views, had access to military instructors from France, the United States and Canada.

Moreover, Kiev sent neo-Nazis to be trained at European military schools. At least two such cases are known for a fact: NAA cadet Kyrylo Dubrovskyi attended an 11-month Officer Training Course at the United Kingdom’s Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and another apparent member of Centuria, Vladyslav Vintergoller, attended events held by the German Army Officers’ Academy (Die Offizierschule des Heeres, OSH).

In other words, the Europeans and Americans, contrary to their governments’ statements, are using the taxpayers’ money to finance the training of neo-Nazis in Ukraine. In fact, these young people never made secret of their political affiliations, posted many pictures taken at their military training courses, and boasted about their promotion and new ranks.

Some public figures in the West expressed their outrage at these facts, which should have happened long before. The Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre (FSWC) has called for an investigation by Canada’s Department of National Defence in response to the report, saying that the training of Ukrainian neo-Nazis by Canadian instructors insulted the memory of the veterans, who had fought to defeat Nazism during WWII.

The matter would not have attracted any attention if not for the IERES study. hundreds of photographs of the training of neo-Nazis, nationalists and extremists in Ukraine, including with NATO funding and instructors, have been posted on these people’s personal pages and accounts. far from keeping their views secret, they are proudly showing them off and are trying to force the public and even the whole of civil society in Ukraine to accept this new normal.