By Bradley Bernard
AS RUSSIA intensifies its attacks and approaches Kyiv, even the coldest heart has opened itself to the wave of refugees.
Millions has rightly been poured into humanitarian relief from various states and charities as the invasion drags on.
But as the war has continued, lethal weapons have also been drafted into the area.
Vladimir Putin’s infamous ‘denazification’ excuse for launching the invasion was overblown, to say the least – but the far-right presence inside Ukraine cannot be ignored, especially when they appear to be the recipients of many of these weapons.
The infamous Azov Batallion is small in number, but has been integrated into the nation’s armed forces structure.
Yet weapons appear to be flowing regularly to soldiers with neo-Nazi beliefs.
There’s also been a worrying amount of ‘Black Sun’ logos in official NATO and Ukraine images. It causes one to wonder quite how many there are that aren’t captured by photographers.
Let it be clear – it’s likely that the vast majority of Ukrainian resistance is noble and righteous, men and women that want to defend their country from a foreign invader.
But we’ve seen this story before when Western nations get involved.
Pouring in weapons to be used by insurgent groups hasn’t ended well.
Whether it be al-Nusra rebels in Syria or even the Mujahideen in Afghanistan when the Soviet Union invaded, arming and emboldening the ‘enemy of your enemy’ may work in the short term, but if due diligence isn’t taken – and it rarely is during times of crisis or war – there could be plenty of longer-term issues in Europe and beyond.
Putin’s war is undoubtedly driving ordinary Ukrainians wishing to defend their nation into the arms of – or at least fighting side by side with – the far-right. But it doesn’t mean the West should be so blasĂ© in arming them.
Opinion articles featured on Redaction Report reflect the views of their author, not those of the publication as a whole. Only Editorials display the opinions of our management.
Featured Image: Atlantic Council @ Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Subscribe to stay updated, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
You can also keep up with our video content on YouTube.
Redaction cannot survive without your help. Support us for as little as $1 a month on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RedactionPolitics.
Redaction Report 