Russian Jews have called the declaration of controversial nationalist leader Stepan Bandera a Hero of Ukraine “a provocation promoting the rehabilitation of Nazi crimes” and “a challenge to the civilized world.”
Outgoing President Yushchenko, who lost the presidential elections on January 17, signed a decree conferring Bandera, the head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in 1941-1959, the status of a national hero.
Bandera’s supporters – mainly in Western Ukraine – claim he fought for Ukraine’s independence against both Soviet and German soldiers. However, many believe he was a war criminal who collaborated with the Nazis during WWII and killed innocent people.
In a statement issued Monday, Federation of Jewish Communities in Russia said Yushchenko’s move “insults the memory of the victims” of Nazi crimes.
“Yushchenko equates heroism and self-sacrifice to the mass murdering of the Jews and Poles that Bandera and his associates were widely practicing.”
The Federation believes that the next Ukrainian president should reverse Yushchenko’s “disgraceful decrees” and make statements against the revision of WWII results.
During his presidency Yushchenko has widely promoted Ukrainian nationalism. Previously, another leader of Ukrainian nationalists, Roman Shukhevych, was awarded the Hero of Ukraine title.
Following the collapse of the USSR, many former Soviet territories including Ukraine and the Baltic states have been in search of new national heroes, Andrey Glotser, representative of Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berl Lazar told RT.
However, due to an “ideological vacuum”, this search is pretty difficult. “Their independence is quite young and these states look for new heroes among those who fought against the Soviet rule,” Glotser said.
He’s the head of the Federation.
whats Lazar got to do with this?