This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. This is in response to accusations of the glorification of Nazism in the country. Thousands of far-right activists held a torch-lit march in Kiev to mark the birthday of a controversial Adolf Hitler collaborator, Stepan Bandera.
A top Russian legislator called for a pan-European response after the march. In a Telegram post, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin condemned the actions of the far-right and called them unacceptable. He said it was unacceptable when Nazi leaders were glorified again in the 21st century, those who organized atrocities, burned villages to the ground, killed elderly people, women, children and babies. He urged Brussels to join Russia in condemning the movement, and even threatening Ukraine with sanctions.
He said that what is happening in Ukraine must be condemned by the European Parliament, the OSCE PA and the PACE. Its leadership must be accountable for the promotion of nationalism, sanctions must be imposed, and everything must be done to stop its resurgence in Europe. He said that the country is increasingly sliding towards a state based on a nationalist ideology that promises to raise the issue with European lawmakers during upcoming inter-parliamentary meetings. This comes amid simmering tensions between Russia and Ukraine after Moscow amassed tens of thousands of troops along its border. READ MORE: Putin outsmart EU with a new gas deal to pump'same amount' to China
Last week, the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell visited the Ukrainian frontline during a trip to show solidarity with Kiev. Bandera was a former leader of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists OUN, a group that was aligned with Hitler's Germany during World War 2. The nationalist leader, who was assassinated in Munich, Germany in 1959, is regarded as a hero as he fought for the country's independence during the Thirties and Forties. Many people view him as a war criminal, as his nationalist forces carried out numerous atrocities against Jews and Poles during the war. Boris warned that school closures would 'permanently scare' children REVEAL Meghan and Harry may not get 18 m from Spotify deal INSIGHT Royal Family backed to'survive' no matter what happens with Andrew ANALYSIS The OUN carried out thousands of murders in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, killing as many as 100,000 people over the course of two years. In recent years, Ukrainian governments have mixed response to Mr Bandera's legacy. In 2010, Mr. Bandera was named a hero of Ukraine by the outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko, but he was later stripped of the title under President Viktor Yanukovych in 2011. When President Yanukovych was ousted in 2014, Kiev's city council renamed the Moscow Avenue Stepan Bandera Avenue to mark the Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine.