A Guide to Ukraine’s Far Right

Claims about Ukraine’s far right taking over the government are false, but ultranationalism is rearing its ugly head in unexpected places.

Picture of Azov Battalion Members (Photo: Azov Battalion’s Vkontakte page)

What You Need to Know:

✓ Since the Maidan Revolution became a major protest movement both the President Yanukovych and Russian governments claimed it was led by far right groups;

✓ Russia officially annexed Crimea based on trumped up “fears” of Ukrainian far right elements moving to kill ethnic Russians. The Russian invasion has given the the far-right a premise to explain why they are needed to protect the country from Russia;

✓ Far right parties as a whole lost in both the Ukrainian presidential and parliamentary elections;

✓ Individuals from far right groups recently attacked cinemas for screening LGBT movies;

✓ Few individuals from far right groups have gained offices in the new post-revolutionary government;

Read Our Multimedia Explainer:

A Guide to Ukraine’s Far Right.

by Devin Ackles, Hromadske International

produced by Maxim Eristavi, Randy R. Potts