IN VIEW OF THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE, "UKRAINE" (THE GALICIAN SIDE) SHOULD BE RENAMED NAZIDOM, SO THAT THERE IS NO MISUNDERSTANDING WITH THE WESTERN MEDIA....

This essay was submitted to the WSWS by Maxim Goldarb, the head of the “Union of Left Forces of Ukraine - For New Socialism” party in Ukraine which opposes the NATO war against Russia and has been banned and persecuted by the Zelensky government. Last month, the WSWS published a statement opposing the state repression of his and other left-wing parties in Ukraine. 

80 years ago, in 1943, Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, was liberated from Nazi occupation by troops of the Red Army, led by General Nikolai Vatutin.

Shortly after the liberation of Kiev, General Vatutin died as a result of a wound inflicted on him in an ambush by Ukrainian Nazi collaborators from the OUN—the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. In 1944, he was buried in one of the central parks of Kiev that he had liberated, and a monument was erected on his grave with the inscription: “To General Vatutin from the Ukrainian people.”

The general was deservedly considered a hero; flowers from the people of Kiev always lay at his monument.

And now, in our days, in the year of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Kiev, the monument to Vatutin was demolished. With this demolition, the Kiev authorities also desecrated his grave. 

The destruction of monuments to the soldiers of the Red Army, which liberated Ukraine and Europe from fascism, is going on throughout Ukraine. In some cities, such as Chernivtsi, Rivne and many others, they are demolished, and in some places they are completely blown up, as happened, for example, in Nikolaev.

In addition, many other monuments are being demolished: monuments to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, to the writers Nikolai Ostrovsky and Maxim Gorky, the test pilot Valery Chkalov and many others.

Moreover, in recent years, cities, villages, streets and squares have been massively renamed in Ukraine.

Since February 2014, after the coup d'état during the Euromaidan, more than a thousand settlements and more than 50,000 streets have been renamed in Ukraine.

Last year alone, 237 streets, squares, avenues and boulevards were renamed just in Kiev,  as the city’s authorities, headed by mayor Vitaliy Klitschko, proudly report. The same government, which for nine years since 2014, when Klitschko first became mayor, could not build in Kiev, a city of 3 million people with constant traffic jams on the roads, a single new metro station, a single new multilevel transport interchange, a single new medical center, a single new campus, a single waste processing complex, and so on.

Where did such an insistent desire to rename everything and everyone come from? Is it because a large number of local residents wanted this? Because they were suddenly no longer satisfied with the names of the cities and streets, where they themselves, their parents, and sometimes grandparents were born and raised? Nothing of the sort. There were no referendums, no votes of local residents on these issues, no one asked their opinion.

On the contrary, in the few cases that polls were conducted, they almost always showed their overwhelming disagreement with the renaming. For example, in the case of the renaming of the regional center Kirovograd a few years ago, which had been named so almost 90 years ago in honor of the famous Soviet statesman Sergei Kirov, the absolute majority of the city's population—82 percent—did not support the decision to rename the city to “Kropyvnytsky”. Only 14 percent supported it. 

But neither in this case, nor in any other of the many cases when monuments were demolished and streets renamed did the authorities care at all about the opinion of the citizens.

Why then is all of this happening? The answer to this question becomes clearer if you look closely at the new names and monuments that are now being erected. 

The avenue of General Vatutin, who helped liberate Kiev from Nazism, which was discussed at the very beginning of the article, was renamed to the avenue of Roman Shukhevych, a Ukrainian fascist. A the time of the attack of Nazi Germany on the Soviet Union in June 1941, Shukhevych served as a member of the Nachtigall battalion, a subdivision of the Abwehr (the military intelligence of the Wehrmacht), which consisted of Ukrainian Nazi collaborators.

What was formerly “Moscow Avenue” in Kiev was renamed to the Avenue of Stepan Bandera—another Ukrainian Nazi collaborator, and leader of the OUN (b), the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, which during the Second World War “became famous” for its collaboration with the German Nazis, and its genocidal massacres of the Polish and Jewish population.

There are now many monuments erected and streets named in honor of Bandera in cities throughout Ukraine.

The Druzhby Narodov Boulevard in Kiev was renamed into the Mykola Mikhnovsky Boulevard. Mikhnovsky was one of the main ideologists of Ukrainian nationalism, the author of the chauvinistic slogan: “Ukraine is for Ukrainians!”

And the street named after the Soviet military leader, Ukrainian Marshal Malinovsky, one of the leaders of the Red Army during the war against Nazism, was named the Street of the Heroes of the Azov Battalion. The Azov Battalion is a neofascist paramilitary formation that is now an official part of the Ukrainian army. Its emblem is the “wolfsangel,” a notorious Nazi emblem that has been used by units of the Nazi SS, in particular. For those who did not know or forgot, let me remind you that Azov was recognized as a neo-Nazi and terrorist group even by the US Congress.

At about the same time when the monument to General Vatutin was being demolished in Kiev, the Tenth Separate Mountain Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was officially renamed Edelweiss. During the Second World War, “Edelweiss” was the name of the First Mountain Infantry Division of the Nazis’ Wehrmacht. This Division played a major role in the deportation of Jews, the execution of prisoners of war, as well as in punitive operations against the partisans of Yugoslavia, Italy, Czechoslovakia and Greece. Today, skull patches, which practically do not differ from the emblems of the SS division “Death’s Head” and other Nazi units, are openly worn not only by many military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but also by the Supreme Commander.

The current government in Ukraine is completely destroying everything that is somehow connected with Russia, which most of Ukraine was part of for hundreds of years—even monuments and streets that were named in honor of world-famous writers—like Leo Tolstoy. It is also destroying everything that is related to the 70-year-old Soviet period in the history of Ukraine, and with socialism and leftist ideology in general. For example, streets named after Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels have been renamed, monuments to them have been demolished, socialist and communist symbols—from the red flag to the performance of the “Internationale'—are prohibited. Likewise, all left-wing parties are banned in Ukraine, including the Union of Left Forces - For New Socialism, which I head.

Socialism and communism are banned, left-wing activists are persecuted and imprisoned, and neo-Nazism is becoming an element of state policy and increasingly the dominant ideology.

This all-out war by the Ukrainian authorities against all public symbols, monuments and names that are associated with Russia, the October Revolution and Soviet history, or leftist ideology, requires a lot of money.

The cost of just one plate with a new street name for one house, according to the Kiev authorities, is at least 1,000 hryvnia (about 25 euros). This must be multiplied by the dozens (and sometimes hundreds) of houses on the same street. And then this must be multiplied by the tens of thousands of streets that are being renamed. Let me also remind you of more than 1,000 renamed cities and villages.

But the cost of the new address plates is only a small part of the enormous costs of this right-wing campaign. There are many more components. All institutions and enterprises have to change documents, order new seals and stamps, update signs at the entrance, and so on. We need new signs on the roads, entrances to the settlement, as well as for streets and roads throughout Ukraine. Many institutions—not only in the renamed cities but throughout the country—need to be provided with new maps and atlases.

For instance, the renaming only of the city “Zhdanov” to “Mariupol” cost about 24 million euros. According to the most conservative estimates, the massive wave of street renaming and the demolition of monuments throughout the country has already cost more than 1 billion euros!

And this is in the most impoverished country in Europe, and during a war at that! This is in a country which is now in critical need of financial assistance and 60 percent of whose state budget revenues this year are provided by funding from abroad, mainly from the EU and the United States.

This means that the money of European and American taxpayers is now being spent, among other things, on the mass renaming of streets in Ukraine in honor of Nazi collaborators and neo-Nazis.

I don't think most citizens of the “donor” countries would agree with this. But it seems that they, like most citizens of Ukraine, are not going to be asked for their opinion.

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https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/03/08/wdtz-m08.html

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by Alastair Crooke

NATO is quietly moving “away” from Ukraine – towards a cold war against China, while the US is preparing an “unprecedented” cold war of sanctions against Beijing.

During a recent interview, Nicholas Burns, the United States Ambassador to China, after calling China a "threat", said bluntly: " We are the leader of this [Indo-Pacific] region. And we stay ". The interviewer, United States Congressman Mike Gallagher, described America's New Cold War as not a courtly tennis match, but an existential struggle for life in the XXIst century.

President Xi's earlier attempt to achieve "new detente" with the United States at November's G20 in Bali - which was effectively an attempt to explore whether a minimum modus vivendi with the United States was possible - is completed. 

The hysteria around the Chinese ball, the growing evidence that Ukraine is turning into a debacle for the Biden administration in the Bakhmut region, and the crude threats of "consequences" for China if it supported Russia militarily (and at the moment even where Washington promised more weapons for Taiwan), were too strong for Beijing.

Far from its first attempts at detente with the United States, China has since moved in the opposite direction. She “recalibrated”.

Suddenly, China moved away from detente with the United States and shifted into high gear towards Russia (and Belarus). Meanwhile, NATO is quietly "moving" from Ukraine to the Cold War against China. And Washington is preparing a cold war of “unprecedented” sanctions against China, also passing from Russia to China.

What does this mean for the Middle East? Simply put, cold war belligerent tactics await.

Don't imagine that simply staying on the sidelines, and even offering to mediate in the Ukrainian conflict, will insulate you from what's to come. Similarly, President Modi had thought of triangulating Indian influence with the global South against the West, on the one hand, and the Russia-China axis, on the other.

What happened ? Well, the result was the "war against Modi", who began with criticism of the New York Times, followed by a hostile documentary from the with the BBC, then from the Hindenburg report on the Adani Group conglomerate (whose leader happens to be a friend and major financial backer of Modi), and finally, as this “thread” shows, from George Soros to the Munich Security Conference , declaring that Modi's days "were numbered" and that "he is not a democrat", and concluding with an oblique threat: "I may be naive, but I expect democratic revival in India".

So things are clear: some time ago, Modi seemed to lean towards the United States. But recently he befriended Putin (while India is making a lot of money from Russian oil products and ordinary trade between the two states is booming).

Thus, Modi was duly punished by the West: the meetings of G20 finance ministers and foreign ministers were reduced to ashes by the West, which demanded that nothing be allowed until the final communiqués were not released. would not unequivocally incriminate Russia in the Ukrainian affair. Modi's G20 triangulation has been humiliated.

Of course, the Gulf States also have a special relationship with the United States. However, these latter warn already the Europeans that they are preparing to ask their allies to impose "unprecedented sanctions" on China, in case the latter provides military support to Russia.  

This eventuality, if implemented, would hit Germany where it suffers the most (in its close trade relationship with China).

Nevertheless (according to Politico), some members of Scholz's Social Democratic Party have already shown themselves to be open to this possibility:

"If China indeed decides to provide direct military support to Russia's war of aggression, which is contrary to international law, we will consult and decide on the necessary responses in close coordination with our EU and G7 allies. … In fact, it would put China on the same level as Iran, against which the EU recently imposed sanctions, as an arms supplier".

The cost to Europe of sanctions against Russia and China (with India to come?) would represent a catastrophic loss for Europe. Europe's optimism at such a prospect seems truly inexplicable.

In interview granted to a Swiss weekly, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, however, said that the main conclusion of the war in Ukraine was that " Europe has withdrawn from the debate "

"Europe has withdrawn from the debate… In the decisions adopted in Brussels, I more often recognize American interests than European interests. In a war unfolding in Europe, it is the Americans who have the last word".

The Middle East is likely to hear much more about China from its European colleagues in the near future. This Friday, Ms. von der Leyen will travel to Washington to meet Biden. According to a statement from the White House, Biden will discuss with von der Leyen “our joint work to address the challenges posed by the People's Republic of China".

No evidence of arms supply from China? Will it matter when the war escalates?

You have been warned: this is not a “courteous diplomatic ping-pong”!

Alastair Crooke

source: Al Mayadeen

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https://en.reseauinternational.net/von-der-leyen-rencontrera-biden-pour-discuter-dune-reponse-commune-a-la-menace-chinoise-soyez-inquiets/

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Russia Ukraine War: Europe's Double Standards Exposed | Vantage with Palki Sharma Europe has rolled out ten rounds of sanctions against Russia since the war in Ukraine began. But despite that, it continues trade with Moscow on several fronts. Has Europe’s hypocrisy been exposed? Palki Sharma explains

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSvdzqYPlp0

ACCORDING TO OTHER SOURCES, BAKHMUT IS ABOUT TO RFALL TO THE RUSSIANS AND ZELENSKY IS DEPRESSED.....

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MAKE A DEAL PRONTO BEFORE THE SHIT HITS THE FAN:

NO NATO IN "UKRAINE" (WHAT'S LEFT OF IT)

THE DONBASS REPUBLICS ARE NOW BACK IN THE RUSSIAN FOLD — AS THEY USED TO BE PRIOR 1922. THE RUSSIANS WON'T ABANDON THESE AGAIN.

CRIMEA IS RUSSIAN — AS IT USED TO BE PRIOR 1954

A MEMORANDUM OF NON AGRESSION BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE USA.

EASY.

THE WEST KNOWS IT.

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