From 'Sputnik International';

Filtering of Events Makes West Unaware of Neo-Nazism in Kiev: Spokesperson

© Sputnik/ Miroslav Luzhetskiy



Politics(updated 15:17 02.01.2015)
Topic:
Situation in Ukraine After Ceasefire Agreement (142)

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The deputy director of the Department of Information and Press of the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the recent attack on Russian journalists in Kiev, saying that the West is not aware of the spread of neo-Nazism in Ukraine, because Kiev does not let journalists reveal the full extent of the problem.
© Alexandr Maksimenko
Amendment to Bar US Funding to Neo-Nazi Groups in Ukraine is Buried

MOSCOW, January 2 (Sputnik) – Western countries are not aware of the spread of neo-Nazism in Ukraine, because Kiev does not let journalists reveal the full extent of the problem, Maria Zakharova, deputy director of the Department of Information and Press of the Russian Foreign Ministry has said. "It is a vicious circle: Kiev blocks the work of Russian journalists, who are trying to draw attention to manifestations of neo-Nazism [in Ukraine], and the West (both the leadership and the public) does not see these manifestations and the violations of freedom of speech. It's a terrible trend," Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page Friday.

© RIA Novosti. Egor Eremov
LPR Head Urges West to Stop Supporting Kiev Over Nazi Ideology Concerns

According to the spokesperson, the West regularly claims that Russia exaggerates neo-Nazi manifestations, taking place in Ukraine, but these claims are due to the fact that "Western channels do not show torchlight marches in central Kiev and do not report on true facts from the biography of Stepan Bandera". On Thursday, hundreds of people marched through the streets of the Ukrainian capital, carrying torches to mark the birthday of Ukrainian nationalist Stepan Bandera, who lived in the first half of the 20th century and, with initial German support, worked to establish a unified Ukrainian state that would be inhabited exclusively by ethnic Ukrainians.
In 2010, the outgoing president of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko awarded Bandera the posthumous title of Hero of Ukraine, but the award was condemned by the European Parliament, as well as Russian, Polish and Jewish organizations. It was declared illegal and was officially annulled in 2011.
© RIA Novosti. Oleg Knorring
Ukraine’s Media Asked Not to Use ‘Liberation From Nazi Invaders’ Term With Respect to WWII

During the Thursday rally, dedicated to Bandera, two Russian LifeNews journalists, covering the event, were attacked, according to the TV channel.
In December, 2014, the 69th session of the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proposed by Russia on combating the glorification of Nazism with 133 votes in favor. The United States, Canada, Ukraine and the Republic of Palau were the only countries to vote against the resolution.
Russia has repeatedly stressed that outbursts of aggressive nationalism and neo-Nazism in Ukraine have become widespread. Far-rights group were actively involved in the February coup in Kiev and in the military operation, launched by Ukrainian authorities last spring against predominantly Russian-speaking South-East of the country.




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