Ukraine Prepares to Return Notorious Nazi Collaborator’s Remains With Full Honors
Ukrainian Neo-Nazis carry burning torches during a rally in downtown Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016, to commemorate the 1909 birth anniversary of notorious Ukrainian political activist and national independence leader Stepan Bandera
Ukraine’s leadership is seeking to repatriate the remains of Yevhen Konovalets, an infamous Ukrainian nationalist leader who helped turn his movement into Nazi collaborators and Adolf Hitler’s willing foot soldiers.In 1920, Konovalets founded the Ukrainian Military Organization (UVO), a group dedicated to creating a Ukrainian state through terror and sabotage.In 1929, UVO merged with other nationalist groups and formed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN)*, with Konovalets becoming its leader.Konovalets himself formed close ties with German military since the early 1920s, using their generous financial support to further his own goals.When the Nazis seized power in Germany, Konovalets welcomed their victory. In the early 1930s, he personally met with Adolf Hitler twice and called upon Ukrainian nationalists to support the Nazis’ cause.
WorldZelensky Embraces Fascism by Honoring Ukrainian Nationalist Leader Melnyk — EU Lawmaker26 May, 15:30 GMTThe current Ukrainian leadership regards Konovalets as a national hero, naming streets after him and even using his name as a badge of honor for military units.*banned in Russia as extremist
