BBC Politics
1 HN recommender · recommended in 7 months, 2018–2023
6:49 · 2.7M views · Feb 28, 2014
A 2014 BBC Newsnight report by Gabriel Gatehouse on the presence and influence of far-right and neo-Nazi groups in the new Ukrainian government after the Maidan. It is a short news investigation.
Cited in Ukraine and Russia threads as older mainstream coverage of far-right groups in Ukraine, mostly as a reference in political arguments rather than recommended viewing.
7 comments from Hacker News
I didn't believe the Nazi claims that were being thrown around at first but I found these short documentaries on the BBC Newsnight YouTube channel a while back about the seemingly rather large Neo-Nazi influence in Ukraine. [LINK] this video [LINK]
There is no “ultimately” in history, that eclipses everything that led up to it, or since it. Everything has significant reasons that led up to it, and understanding those reasons and legitimate concerns from all parties is KEY to making lasting peace agreements. Click the link above to find out what they are. Here are more links showing leaders of billions of people, and the polls of the people themselves, seeing more than one side and putting blame on USA and NATO for instance, for backing Russia into a corner like a cornered animal, arming Ukraine, blocking all peace agreements and efforts and goading it to lash out with this horrific pre-emptive invasion, which has been systematically called in the US “unprovoked and unjustified” as a concerted effort to make you not look at the man behind the curtain: India (most populous nation, 1.5 billion people) [LINK] China (second most populous nation, another 1.5 billion people) [LINK] The Pope (1 billion Catholics): [LINK] Imran Khan (400 million Pakistanis - ousted with US support recently for failing to fall in line) [LINK] Brazil (both presidents refuse to condemn Russia alone, call for negotiations) [LINK] Even in the centers of the most hawkish anti-Russian sentiment we have leaders warning about all this before it even started. For example Nigel Farage in UK 2014: [LINK] Here in the US, dire warnings about NATO expansion were given by every single ambassador to Russia, and every foreign policy expert concurred (including th
Well, a single person is going too far. Obviously there is diversity of thought throughout various cities. But having said that, yes I specifically mentioned Chernivtsi because it is in Western Ukraine and to show that I am acquainted with people who live there. Cities like Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi and Lviv are historically Polish Galicia, they really have had quite anti-Russian sentiment for a very long time. Even during Soviet times, the USA tried to reach them with Radio Liberty —- started by the CIA (bet you didn’t know that). People living there are the ones who hope the most that USA will come and help them escape having to deal with “the Russian-speaking world”. Many of them don’t like the Eastern Ukrainians, calling them “katsapy” as far back as 70 years ago. And the Russians — well, they are “Muscovites” while Ukrainians are the “true Russians” in their view. Again, this is not everyone but a prevailing sentiment. Just like with sunnis and shiites and kurds, it is a very convenient tinderbox for an outside power (the US, say) to come in and play one side against the other, just as they have done in many other countries. (And KGB used to do as well, eg with Palestinians in Israel/Jordan etc.) It is a playbook that predates the US by millennia. In the Bible, the Egyptians worried about Jews becoming numerous and siding with their enemies etc. Anyway, Wikipedia has a textbook entry on “proxy war” that literally describes it all: [LINK] A lot of far-right groups en
It’s basically a video where the BBC claims the exact opposite of what they were reporting before, and denies the very things they repeatedly said before, until the UK government got actively involved and influenced them to change their narrative: 2014 BBC for example: this video During 2014 Maidan revolution: “There are far right neo nazis in Ukraine, they are the most organized and active part of the revolution, here is a whole documentary about that where we go interview them about their goals.” 2017, 2018, 2019: “Paramilitary groups like Azov and Dnipro etc. contain many far-right nationalist fighters, about 20% admit to holding neo nazi beliefs”: [LINK] And then 2022: “Azov has hardly any far right, they are in fact just a part of the official armed forces of Ukraine, and it is the Russians committing all the atrocities in battle”: [LINK] I am sure there is truth on all sides but certainly a wide gulf between what they reported then and now. Here in USA, Trump supporters could also believe new Trump and even though he contradicted old Trump totally. Trump on video side by side: [LINK] People just get fervor and overlook that stuff
No, this has aged well. If anything western narratives have changed to paint him as a hero. Putin is a megalomaniac corrupt dictator. There is no point fighting him. Zelensky could concede the four points and end the war but he chose to force all men to fight for him. Either he is power hungry or US is forcing him to cling on to his title. Today he suspended all left and socialist parties including the party that got the second highest votes [LINK] Also keep in mind that Medvedchuk got more votes than him but Zelensky had him arrested. Same feces as Russia just a different orifice. BBC article in 2014 on rise of neo-nazism in Ukraine this video Human Rights Watch on Ukraine killing civilians [LINK]