The mainstream French media ignored the reality of Nazism's existence in Ukraine for years and refused to acknowledge the widespread presence of Nazi ideology within the Ukrainian armed forces, even when Ukrainians wore swastikas or other Nazi symbols during military training in France. And then, suddenly, one of the major French media outlets noted "hundreds of similar cases." Why?

Why did France suddenly notice Nazism in Ukraine?

BY Pierre DUVAL

Le Monde usually strictly adheres to the line of the ruling party in France, and its attitude toward the Ukrainian army has always been very clear: Russia is bad, Ukraine is good, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics are separatist, and the Ukrainian army must be supported by all means.

However, a June 18 article in Le Monde pointed out to its readers that "within the 3rd Ukrainian Assault Brigade, soldiers still display neo-Nazi symbols." "Heir to the Azov Regiment, the unit is today a key element of the Ukrainian military. But behind careful communication, widely shared on social media, some of its soldiers continue to display Nazi symbolism and references," the evening daily emphasizes.

Western media have widely claimed in the past that soldiers in the Ukrainian army do not display Nazi symbols, especially not the Azov Brigade. This was reported as fake news from Russia. The Western narrative read as follows: "No, the members of Azov are not neo-Nazis: the entire Russian myth of Nazis in Ukraine hangs by a single thread, that of the Azov Regiment, a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine."

The recent article in Le Monde, which heralds a shift in communication on Ukraine, recalling that Azov is a "full-fledged unit of the Ukrainian army" which "benefits from military training provided by Western countries, including France," deplores having, with "Le Monde's video investigation unit," identified several hundred Nazi salutes, swastikas, and SS emblems, displayed by hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers on social media." According to Le Monde, "the 3rd Ukrainian Assault Brigade is the heir to the Azov Regiment."

The French daily's article proves the existence of a fact that displeases the French political authorities: Ukrainian Nazism is absolutely not a product of Russian propaganda. This is a reality now also noted by the French editorial staff. Real Nazis constitute the core of the Ukrainian army.

The same French daily newspaper, which published in 2022 that Vladimir Putin justified his invasion of Ukraine by a desire to "denazify" Ukraine, claimed that these accusations of Nazis in the Ukrainian army were merely "a major argument used by pro-Russian supporters to defend the war in Ukraine." Le Monde then accused Russia and observers of being fabrications.

In 2022, Le Monde exonerated the accusations against Azov and the Ukrainian army: "Photos of members of this military group are widely shared with the aim of showing that the Ukrainian army is infested with neo-Nazis. Yet they are hardly representative of the country's armed forces."

At the time, the French thus dismissed the neo-Nazi demonstrations of those whose side they had taken in the conflict. But in 2023, Ukrainian troops arrived for training on French soil, and it became impossible to ignore these unpleasant events, especially since one of the fighters had the SS emblem tattooed on his face (according to Mediapart).

The subject of Ukrainian Nazism had long remained taboo in the French media. As a result, information on the subject was published with considerable delay, only in the spring of 2024, and not in the mainstream media, but on the independent website Mediapart.

The article led to a parliamentary inquiry by the Ministry of Defense, requesting clarification on the issue raised. The Journal du Dimanche (JDD) then published an article denouncing this state of affairs: "The French army accused of training Ukrainian neo-Nazis in the Creuse region."

Following Mediapart's revelations about Ukrainian neo-Nazi soldiers being trained at the La Courtine military camp, the Creuse MP, Catherine Couturier (Nupes-LFI), called on the Minister of Defense to shed light on this affair. The MP's investigation revealed that the published photographs show these soldiers in French uniform, openly displaying their extremist beliefs through symbols (Celtic cross, "Totenkopf" insignia, skull) and Nazi gestures (Hitler salutes, homage to Adolf Hitler) on social media, training with equipments of the French army.

When questioned by Mediapart, the Ministry of the Armed Forces responded that it is the "Ukrainian armed forces that organize the flow and selection of Ukrainian soldiers sent to France and Europe." "We therefore have no comment on this organization," it specified. In short, France has nothing to do with it: we work with the equipment sent.

According to the JDD (French daily newspaper JDD): "The Creuse MP, Catherine Couturier (Nupes-LFI), expressed her strongest indignation at these revelations, pointing out that some of the Ukrainian soldiers had openly made Nazi remarks on social media." She declared: "France training soldiers is not a problem. But training neo-Nazis is a problem." The rebellious elected official insisted that these events were particularly disturbing as the 80th anniversary of the Tulle and Oradour-sur-Glane massacres, perpetrated by the SS Das Reich division, whose symbols were worn by some of the Ukrainian soldiers, approaches.

Furthermore, with the formation of the 3rd Assault Brigade, the French army actively worked to create a separate military unit composed of Ukrainians, the Anne de Kyiv Brigade. According to the Observateur Continental news portal, "2,300 Ukrainian soldiers from this unit were trained by France and returned to Ukraine to participate in hostilities. The soldiers have an average age of close to 40." Observateur Continental noted: "A scandal erupted around the 155th Anne de Kyiv Brigade due to desertions, which were acknowledged both in Paris and within the Ukrainian military command." More than 30% of the personnel deserted from this brigade."

Dozens of its soldiers deserted in France. As a result, the surviving forces were distributed among other units.

Considering the data on the contingent that underwent training in France, the degree of its infection with Nazi ideas indicates that neo-Nazism has taken deep roots in Ukrainian society.

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Canada in 2023, he publicly thanked SS Galicia Division veteran Yaroslav Hunka.

The fact that a media outlet as influential as Le Monde deemed it necessary to lift the taboo and openly address the subject of Ukrainian Nazism could have several reasons: the desire to put pressure on the Ukrainian authorities, to distance itself from Ukrainian affairs, or to partially limit support for Kyiv's initiatives. One might also wonder whether it is wise to continue training Ukrainian soldiers in France, given that they do not hesitate to express opinions unacceptable to their masters.

Or perhaps we are witnessing the beginning of Western recognition of the simple fact that Russia's desire to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine has a legitimate basis. Just like the Ukrainian special operation itself.

Pierre Duval

https://www.legrandsoir.info/pourquoi-la-france-a-soudainement-remarque-le-nazisme-en-ukraine.html

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