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The Ukrainian regiment adheres to its personal model of ‘Nationwide Concept,’ loosely modelled on Mussolini’s Italy
Regardless of the give up of the Azov regiment on the Azovstal Iron and Metal Works throughout the preventing in Mariupol, final month, the legend of this unit has turned out to be enduring. The Ukrainian command has already introduced that new Azov particular operations forces might be created in Kharkov and Kiev.
On the similar time, a partial rebranding has been carried out. A medieval heraldic image – a trident (the coat of arms of Ukraine) consisting of three swords – is now depicted on the chevron of the ‘new’ Azov instead of the stylized Wolfsangel (‘wolf’s hook’) that has attracted a lot criticism from not solely Russia, but in addition the West and fellow Ukrainians. This condemnation is for good cause, because the image was used on the lapels of the SS’s Das Reich and Landstorm Nederland divisions, as effectively the emblem of the Dutch Nazi Celebration.
The Azovites have rejected all such accusations, claiming their regimental image was not a Wolfsangel, however relatively the primary letters of the phrase ‘Nationwide Concept’, allegedly written within the previous Ukrainian alphabet, which was a mixture of Cyrillic and Latin letters. And this isn’t Azov’s first rebranding – at one time, the ‘wolf’s hook’ on their chevrons changed the occult ‘black solar’ image, which was utilized in SS rituals and adorned the ground of the order’s citadel in Wewelsburg. Nevertheless, again then, the Azovites didn’t hassle attempting to elucidate how the ‘black solar’ had notional Ukrainian roots.
The rejection of the Wolfsangel is clearly meant to make it potential to say, “Sure, there was once ultra-right parts in Azov, however that’s all prior to now now. The regiment is transferring ahead with new symbols and new concepts.”
Nevertheless, this isn’t the case. Quite the opposite, the rebranding exhibits Azov has solely strengthened its ideology, changing into extra mature and discarding youthful outrage together with its Nazi symbolism, which alludes to an ideology that the regiment, as a company, by no means actually shared. To grasp this, it’s sufficient to take a look at Azov not solely as a army motion, but in addition a political challenge.
Azov was based by radicals crossing over from Patriot of Ukraine. This group was based mostly in Kharkov, a metropolis within the northeast of the nation, which has all the time had a predominantly Russian-speaking inhabitants. Due to this fact, Azov’s model of nationalism was completely different. In contrast to Ukrainian nationalists, they didn’t deal with points pertaining to Ukraine’s language, ethnicity, or faith. They perceived the nation as a statist challenge within the spirit of Italian fascism. Really, Patriot of Ukraine’s predominant ideologist, the Twentieth-century Ukrainian publicist Dmitry Dontsov (whose concepts have been additionally a significant affect on the Nazi collaborators of the Group of Ukrainian Nationalists), known as his ideology of ‘integral nationalism’ the Ukrainian model of nationalism developed within the Twenties, whereas repeatedly referring to the works of Benito Mussolini and Giovanni Gentile, the primary authors of fascism.
On the similar time, Dontsov equated the ideas of nation and race. The latter he divided into grasp and slave races. In response to Dontsov, Ukrainians are a race of masters, whereas Russians are a race of slaves looking for to enslave Ukrainians. The conflict between Ukrainians and Russians is of an absolute, existential nature and might solely finish with the destruction of one of many events, Dontsov believed. Romanticism performs a key position on this wrestle, which he defines as the need to sacrifice, the coherence of a number of people’ will to realize energy, and directing all efforts in the direction of one objective – the constructing of a Ukrainian nation. It’s this romanticism that ensures that the person belongs to the collective entire and directs the nation on the trail of enlargement.
Dontsov’s romanticism relies on the parable of the ‘closing battle’ from German-Scandinavian paganism. On this state of affairs, the destruction of the world and its subsequent rebirth will come. The worship of the concept espoused on this fable should take the type of spiritual fanaticism. That is the one means an concept can penetrate into the interior sanctum of an individual’s character and produce about what Dontsov calls a radical revolution within the human psyche.
Aggression in the direction of bearers of different views ought to be engendered in adherents to this concept, permitting them to reject common morality and concepts about good and evil. The brand new morality ought to be anti-humanist, based mostly solely on the need to take energy. Private pursuits should undergo the widespread good, something that makes the nation stronger ought to be thought of moral, and every part that stops this ought to be declared immoral.
Dontsov’s idea is totally elitist. To him, the individuals are simply an inert mass with no unbiased will. The plenty are disadvantaged of the power to develop their very own concepts, they will solely passively take up them. The principle position is reserved for the lively minority, that’s, a bunch able to formulating an concept for the unconscious plenty that’s straightforward to know and motivates them to interact within the wrestle. The lively minority ought to all the time be on the head of the nation, in keeping with Dontsov.
What the Azovites took from the German Nazis was their technique of achieving energy. They tried to create a shadow ‘state inside a state’ that was imagined to take management of all authorities establishments at a time of acute political disaster. An enormous community of civil organizations has grown up across the Azov regiment over the eight years of its existence. These embrace e book publishers, academic tasks, scouting golf equipment, gyms, and different associations. It even has its personal political social gathering, the Nationwide Corps, with a paramilitary wing dubbed the Nationwide Militia. The regiment’s veterans play a key position right here.
With the assistance of those organizations, recruits have been enlisted for each the regiment itself and Azov’s civil motion. Azov veterans have additionally actively joined Ukraine’s Armed Forces and legislation enforcement companies, together with its police, Military, and Safety Service, the place they continued to unfold Azov’s ideology of integral nationalism.
A critical ritual element permeates all facets of life inside the Azov regiment itself and its civil motion. The three swords now depicted on the chevrons of the ‘new’ Azov are literally a mirrored image of a fairly tangible image. A ceremonial advanced with three wood swords was constructed at Azov’s predominant base within the metropolis of Urzuf close to Mariupol, the place virtually the entire regiment’s rituals have been carried out. Essentially the most vital of those is the commemoration of fallen comrades. In the course of the ritual, the Azovites stand holding wood shields and torches. The shields bear the regiment’s predominant symbols – the ‘black solar’ and Wolfsangel, in addition to the names of fallen members. The grasp of the ceremony calls out every of their names, after which a soldier with the corresponding protect lights a memorial mild and says “We bear in mind!” to which the others reply, “We’ll take revenge!” This ritual will not be an authentic invention. The Azovites borrowed it from the Italian fascists of the Twenties, who known as it Presente! This and different rituals have been developed by a particular ideological unit inside Azov, the ‘Customary-Bearer’ service.
Actually, the selection of the three swords as a brand new image is telling. A brand new era is coming into Azov’s prime positions. These are now not the rowdy soccer followers who as soon as created the battalion and for whom sporting SS symbols and spouting Nazi ideology was a type of protest. Now, the present is being run by individuals who have been introduced up inside the Azov system with Azov’s ideology of integral nationalism. Ties with the European ultra-right, the so-called ‘white nationalist’ motion, are now not as necessary to them. The middle of their worldview is Ukrainian statehood and the Ukrainian nation, doomed to battle towards each Russia and the liberal values of the West. In fact, for the Azovites, the very best a part of the Ukrainian nation is themselves.
The give up of the primary a part of the regiment at Azovstal has solely crystallized the Azov ideology. For the Azovites, the present Russian-Ukrainian battle has turn out to be the very eschatological ‘closing battle’ depicted in Wagner’s opera. It’s to be waged towards the Russians and the liberal West, which doesn’t wish to present sufficient army help or enter into an open conflict with Moscow. If mandatory, it is going to even be waged towards its personal authorities, which promised to evacuate the defenders of Azovstal however didn’t preserve its phrase. The final battle should be fought to the tip, and the Azovites couldn’t care much less what number of Ukrainian residents will burn in its fireplace within the title of imposing their ‘Nationwide Concept.’
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