1/28 I feel a most-urgent need to document a recent encounter with Russian propaganda, peculiar to an overarching narrative that has penetrated our domestic political discourse, of the intent to erode public support for Ukraine and justify Russian genocide against Ukrainians.
2/28 In this example, of which there are many, I found myself encountering an image, coupled to a statement, insinuating Ukraine infested with neo-Nazis.
Given history of Russia's unconventional and conventional invasion of Ukraine, coupled to their strategies, I was suspicious.
3/28 Upon closer examination and with the aid of open-source intelligence tool, image operations meta-tool (imgops), I found a truth opposite of what was portrayed.
4/28 The implications of what I found were disturbing, perhaps unveiling a conspiracy more vast than was publicly known.
5/28 By reverse image searching, I was able to locate the original hi-res photo and other images of at least two, potentially three, individuals together at another rally, photographed by Mikhail Voskresenskiy of Reuters, on Russia's National Unity Day in Moscow, Nov. 4, 2012.
6/28 Russia Today had published an article covering the event on Nov. 5, 2012, the precise and above photograph, only to later erase it.
I wonder why. Perhaps to later use the photos to blame Ukraine? Sinister agendas are afoot.
Before and after:
web.archive.org/web/2012110801…
7/28 Photographed by Yuriy Dyachyshyn 155 days later, at least two the men were again leading a neo-Nazi rally, but in Lviv, Ukraine, on April 28, 2013, the 70th anniversary of 14th SS-Volunteer Division “Galician” foundation.
mediafaxfoto.ro/Preview.aspx?I…
8/28 In both instances the neo-Nazi rallies are being led by Russian nationalists, members of the Russian Imperial Movement and Totenkopf, the most prominently mentioned circled in red, Alexei Maximov.
9/28 Keep in mind, this is taking place prior to the unconventional SOF invasion and annexation of Crimea, or was it?
Was he playing a role in operations?
Among other things, was he playing the role of crisis actor for Russian propagandists?
10/28 After all, Maximov is a supporter of Russian National Socialism and Imperialism, and the rallies he organized became part of Russian propaganda to justify the invasion.
For instance, a Russian propaganda paper disseminated the image in print throughout Kherson:
11/28 Additionally, photos of rallies he organized again appear across hundreds of articles, including Russia Today, such as this one published on March 6, 2017:
russian.rt.com/opinion/365638…
12/28 I soon discover Maximov, et al. also held rallies in Lithuania and Estonia:
lithuaniatribune.com/new-extreme-ri…
13/28 In fact, Maximov appears in coverage, in relation to rallies held in Estonia:
news.postimees.ee/4078093/securi…
14/28 "We have noticed a tendency to delegate right-wing extremists from Russia to Estonian events in order to publicly display Nazi symbols, which leads to media coverage of this 'social problem' in Estonia.
15/28 One of the best examples from last year is the attempted provocation where the St. Petersburg skinhead Aleksei Maksimov was sent to Estonia to be captured on film as a 'local Nazi activist'," Estonia Internal Security Service 2016 Year Book.
kapo.ee/sites/default/…
16/28 Continuing my dig, I discover Maximov has a sister, Katarina Aistova.
She was employed by the Russian SVR Foreign Intelligence Services, at the Internet Research Agency, which was subject to indictments by Robert Mueller for 2016 election meddling.
web.archive.org/web/2023020900…
17/28 It doesn't end with there, however: a consistent pattern is emerging.
This photo is Russian nationalist and neo-Nazi Dmitry Dyomushkin at a press conference held by the Movement Against Illegal Immigration (DPNI) in Moscow on Feb. 16, 2011.
thedailybeast.com/the-shadowy-ru…
18/28 To be clear, being against illegal immigration, alone, does not make one a neo-Nazi, but is consistent with the monoethnic Socialist ideology that is National Socialism, or Nazism. It is something utilized to agitate and recruit, why you'll find neo-Nazis at such events.
19/28 Examining more sources, we find that in February 2014, then-Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin offered to make Dmitry Dyomushkin the mayor of a city in Donbas, if he agreed to lead his followers against Ukraine.
20/28 Wagner-affiliated neo-Nazi Alexei Milchakov claim he, fellow Russian neo-Nazi Yan Petrovsky, and others were paid by Russia to do mercenary work in Ukraine, where he's since founded neo-Nazi mercenary group Rusich, which cuts ears off enemy corpses.
21/28 In a way, I can't say I'm surprised by all of this, because I'm familiar with much else Russia has engaged in, i.e.:
22/28 So, what does all of this tell us?
Moscow has engaged in a methodical and diabolical pattern of embedding and exploiting neo-Nazi National Socialist, Communist, and other totalitarian and collectivist factions to justify and do their bidding abroad.
thetimes.co.uk/article/rusich…
23/28 History also tells us Russia is the country exporting, exploiting, and supporting genocidal National Socialist (Nazi) ideologues and regimes abroad, as a tool of subversion, sabotage, espionage, and geopolitical and economic domination of others:
24/28 What does this tells us about the so-called "third way" political insurgencies throughout the West and which Russia Today media commentators smile upon?
25/28 If you think about it critically, from an ideological perspective, it becomes obvious as to why they are willing to aid Lubyanka's aging Soviet intelligence apparatus in their endeavors:
26/28 Nazis do not believe in Liberty or Liberal "Capitalism."
Hitler, in fact, served as an elected official in the Communist Bavarian Soviet Republic, while his personal chauffer and founder of the Nazi SS, Julius Schreck, served in the Red Army.
27/28 Now are you beginning to understand?
28/28 Now you see why these factions, throughout the West and elsewhere; and we are fighting not only a war against Russia, but a war against totalitarian political insurgency and subversives, whether witting or unwitting, throughout the West:
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