Obviously lots of us have been concerned about this, but one thing I noticed recently are Ukrainians claiming the West is now supporting Russia, and if normal Ukrainians are saying this, then you just know the UkroNazis believe worse.

  • Deadend [he/him]
    ·
    3 days ago

    I don’t recall a time where training and arming a radical group ever worked out fine for the status quo.

    • blight [he/him]
      ·
      3 days ago

      worked well enough in the color revolutions?

  • MaoTheLawn [any, any]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 days ago

    Well, they've done it before, even as specifically in Ukraine - Operation Aerodynamic. More broadly for Europe - Operation Gladio.

    The result? Business continues as usual. The truth is that the far right has basically never not been funded in Europe.

    If there's resistance, you get Years of Lead, ala Italy at the time of Gladio. If there's no resistance, business continues to continue as usual.

  • Jabril [none/use name]
    ·
    3 days ago

    Absolutely, I think a bit part of the long term Ukraine strategy is funneling Ukrainian Nazis into US and EU to radicalize and train domestic fascists. They were even on the ground in Hong Kong doing training during the the protests there.

    • SkingradGuard [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      edit-2
      3 days ago

      They were even on the ground in Hong Kong doing training during the the protests there.

      shocked-pikachu you're telling me those "democracy" protestors were assisted by Western backed fascists?

    • MrPiss [he/him]
      ·
      3 days ago

      Yeah, I remember that article from years before the SMO about Ukraine being the international training ground for fascists. So, Azov doesn't even need to leave Ukraine since they've been rebranded as brave freedom fighters like the Contras. They can stay in Lvov to protect zelensky-pain in 2034 after Russia reaches the outskirts of Kiev and at the same time train NATO fascists, street fascists for europe and the anglosphere, and the CIA goons who will train other fascists in probably mostly latin america.

  • chickentendrils@lemmy.ml
    ·
    3 days ago

    A real danger? no. A "danger" that can be taken advantage of to justify more weapons contracts, police & surveillance technology transfers, and maybe an intervention a couple decades from now in UA after some stuff explodes up and it's pinned on Azov? If they can still conduct themselves that way, surely they will.

  • SkingradGuard [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    3 days ago

    Probably. I think it's intentional too. There's massive amounts of euros that want to exterminate Muslims, so leveraging Nazis in Ukraine is a first step in doing that.

  • Awoo [she/her]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 days ago

    Azov are actually less dangerous than they used to be because most of them died. They were a real problem actively training the far right everywhere internationally. Now they're basically dead. Most of the hardcore died or were captured in Mariupol.

    What IS a problem is the arming of entirely different far right groups with weapons from the Ukraine war, many of which have gone missing.

    Azov will need to rebuild itself, or reorganised under different names. It is not the powerful fascist organisation that it was before this war started, it has been considerably weakened by its losses and much of its new blood don't have the decades of fascist larping in peacetime to build up their ideology.

  • WittyProfileName2 [she/her]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 days ago

    Didn't US arm shipments sent to Ukraine already make it to neo-nazi groups all over Europe thanks to Azov?

    I vaguely recall there being something about that when that Reichsbürger lot got caught planning to overthrow the German government.

    Edit: disregard this, I can't find any solid evidence they were.

    • chickentendrils@lemmy.ml
      ·
      3 days ago

      Pre-SMO but there were these weapons neonazis who went to UA brought back to Italy: https://www.reuters.com/article/world/italy-seizes-air-to-air-missile-guns-in-raids-on-neo-nazis-idUSKCN1UA1SZ/

      This one busted in 2022 also linked to Azov and such:

      https://www.vice.com/en/article/italy-neo-nazis-order-of-hagal/