We must talk about 🇷🇺nationalism. I watched a 2020 interview with Aleksei Milchakov, commander of the Rusich neo-Nazi militia of 🇷🇺 mercenaries fighting in🇺🇦 Dressed as a Peaky Blinder, he admits his favourite activity is ‘killing people for 🇷🇺’, while sipping American whiskey 1/ 
Recent reports at @derspiegel @thetimes @guardian indicate the presence of neo-Nazi groups – Russian Imperial Legion and Rusich – returning to fight in 🇺🇦 now after 2014-15, thus revealing the absurdity and cynicism of Moscow’s claims of the need to “denazify” Ukraine. 2/
In this interview, Milchakov openly identifies as a Nazi, embraces Eurasianist Lev Gumilev's ethnogenetic theories, admits that he & his men fought in Donbas in 2014-15, & boasts of cutting off & collecting dead 🇺🇦 soldiers’ ears as trophies. 3/
On his socials, Milchakov can be seen taking selfies with burnt bodies of 🇺🇦soldiers or himself with a Nazi flag. He also posted photos of dead 🇺🇦 soldiers' faces marked with the Kolovrat – the sun-shaped swastika used in Slavic neo-Nazi movements. Too gruesome to share here. 4/
In certain Western media (think Italy) 🇷🇺 propaganda managed to successfully consolidate an obsession around 'neo-Nazi Ukrainians' and the Azov battalion as a scapegoat while totally ignoring Russian officials' consistent chauvinistic statements at 🇺🇦's expense over the years. 5/
🇷🇺forces in🇺🇦are setting up filtration camps to manage deportations of 🇺🇦civilians (incl. children) to🇷🇺 & re-education camps to ensure teachers adopt 🇷🇺 educational standards in the newly occupied areas. We've been ignoring 🇷🇺 nationalism for too long. 🇺🇦is paying the price. END
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