by Alessandro Pompei –
In recent days many newspapers have reported the attacks in the Russian town of Sebekino, located in the Belgorod Oblast just under six kilometers from the Ukrainian border. In relation to these events which led to the death of several Russian civilians, some national newspapers have labeled those responsible as “Russian partisans”. But who are these self-styled Russian partisans really and what is their connection to Ukraine?
To fully understand the situation it is important to analyze the founders of this extremist movement, i.e. Denis Kapustin and Alexander Sketchcov, and to consider the role that Ukraine, especially the capital Kiev, has played for radical right-wing and neo-Nazi movements at the after the 2014 Euromaidan uprising, in which political groups like Pravyj Sektor played a key role.
Alexander Sketchcov, of Russian origin, has been identified as one of the partisans involved in the raid on Belgorod. He was arrested in Ukraine in 2020 on charges of translating and disseminating the manifesto of Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the perpetrator of the massacre that took place in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019. In his manifesto entitled “The Great Replacement”, Tarrant it expressed ideas of racial hatred and Islamophobia, and its lyrics were a source of inspiration for neo-Nazi extremists around the world. It is also interesting to note that Tarrant himself spent a short time in Ukraine and had expressed his intention to move permanently to the country; during the Christchurch massacre, which claimed the lives of 51 people, Tarrant wore a flak jacket with a black sun (Sonnenrad), a Nazi symbol dear to Himmler, prompting him to adorn the floor of the hall of generals in the castle with it Wewelsburg, a symbol that before the Ukrainian-Russian conflict, or in “less curious” times, was present in the coat of arms of the AZOV Battalion.
Denis Kapustin, also known as Nikitin, is a Russian entrepreneur and organizer of “semi-clandestine” mixed martial arts (MMA) matches frequented by the European far-right. Kapustin was put in charge of recording videos of the raid on Belgorod. He is considered persona non grata in several countries due to his right-wing extremist activities. Kapustin is also a supporter of the Russian Center, an organization that embodies the “Russian Nazi diaspora” in Kiev, which aims to strengthen the international network of relations with targets ranging from Hungary to Poland, from the Czech Republic to Serbia. The Russian Center also promotes the creation of international groups of fighters ready to spread their ideology wherever possible, including Russia.
Another individual involved in this context is Alexey Levkin, the frontman of Molot, a musical group linked to the extreme right and the neo-Nazi movement. Levkin is involved in organizing the Fuhrer Nights, events celebrating Nazi ideology and taking place in Kiev. He is also the owner of Militan Zone, a shop frequented by the Nazis where you can buy Celtic amulets and various objects related to the extreme right.
These individuals and the organizations they are linked to are just a few examples of how right-wing extremism has taken root in Ukraine since the Euromaidan. Movements such as Pravyj Sektor, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), and the Russian Center have played a significant role in spreading extremist ideologies and organizing events promoting Nazi and white supremacist ideology.
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was not a right-winger, he is a Ukrainian of Jewish origin, and during his electoral campaign he sought dialogue, conciliation as a way to resolve problems. However, once elected like many politicians who preceded him, he tried to use the extreme right for his own purposes, to then ascertain the impossibility of getting rid of the uncomfortable allies.
In the current context of war and necessity, Zelensky found himself forced to deal with neo-Nazis in Ukraine.
As the journalist Giuliano Marrucci points out, for 20 years the historical backbone of the broadcast Reportthe Faustian pact made by the Zelensky administration began as early as 2019, shortly after his inauguration, when he granted citizenship to nine neo-Nazi foregin fighters engaged in the massacre of the civilian populations of Donbass, among them a close friend of Levkin and another element of the ” Russian Center”, Nikita Makev, who immediately after receiving citizenship found himself at the center of local news for having attacked the car of ex-president Petro Porosenko with a cheerful brigade of friends, complete with pepper spray sprayed against the guards of the body.
As Giuliano Marrucci has stated, post-Euromaidan Kiev has become something of a mecca for neo-Nazi movements from around the world, similar to what Paris was for bohemian artists in the 1800s.
As the Financial Times recalls, for their blitz the partisans used vehicles and weapons supplied to Ukraine by the USA, at least two M1224 armored vehicles and several HUMVEEs, as Nikitin himself would have reported.
The last few times that the West has indiscriminately armed fanatics (Afghanistan, Syria, etc.) it hasn’t gone so well…
To learn more see:
– Belling Cat – The “Hardcore” Russian Neo-Nazi Group That Calls Ukraine Home4.9.2019;
– The New York Times – Russia-Ukraine War Anti-Kremlin Group Involved in Border Raid Is Led by a Neo-Naz26.5.2023;
– The Telegraph – The social media soldiers accused of invading Russia for ‘likes’24.5.2023;
– Twitter Christopher Millerwar correspondent;
