Viral Black Sun, Symbol Associated with the Nazis on Ukrainian Army Uniforms

Jakarta –

Two photos of Ukrainian soldiers went viral on social media because they wore symbols that could be associated with Nazism on their uniforms.

In the first photo, the logo called “black sun” or black sun it appears on the vest of a soldier assisting the evacuation of civilians near Kyiv. The photo was taken by Ukrainian photojournalist Anastasia Vlasova and uploaded to Twitter by Getty Images.

A second photo was uploaded – and later deleted – by NATO on March 8. The photo shows a woman wearing the same black sun symbol on her uniform.

A NATO spokeswoman told the BBC: “As part of our World Women’s Day collage for social media, we uploaded a photo of the stock footage of one of the international agencies. The post was deleted when we realized it contained a symbol that we could not verify as an official symbol. “

https://twitter.com/ZaidZamanHamid/status/1501416825149693961

What is the meaning of the black sun symbol?

Symbol black sun consists of two concentric circles, and at the center is a dot that looks like it radiates light like the sun.

The symbol is used in various versions by various cultures around the world, including the ancient Norse and Celtic peoples.

“We shouldn’t assume” that it always signifies “racism or white supremacist ideology”, says the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the US organization that fights anti-Semitism.

However, black sun was one “of the many European symbols used by the Nazis in their attempt to create the ideal Aryan race,” the organization added.

Detail of the ‘black sun’ symbol seen on the uniform of a Ukrainian soldier. (Anastasia Vlasova/Getty Images)

The symbol most often associated with Nazism is the swastika, which does not appear in the photographs of the Ukrainian soldier.

But according to the human rights organization Freedom House, the black sun is often used in Ukraine as a sign of far-right ideology.

For example, the symbol is one of the badges of the Azov Battalion, the nationalist battalion that rose to prominence at the height of Ukraine’s conflict with Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country. The unit was originally a volunteer force, but has now been absorbed by the Ukrainian military, and takes orders from the commander of the National Guard.

Civilians are being trained by right-wing militias to fight Russian forces in Ukraine. (Anadolu Agency)

Electorally, extreme-right groups are still a minority in Ukraine – in the 2019 elections, far-right candidates and groups like Svoboda failed to meet the 5% threshold required for seats in parliament.

‘Denazifikasi’ Ukraina

Photos of Ukrainian soldiers wearing the symbol black sun has revived debate over the influence of far-right ideology in Ukrainian politics, the pretext used by Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade its neighbor.

Experts say Putin’s talk of the “denazification” of Ukraine is an attempt to justify to the world, and especially the Russian people, his military actions against fellow Slavs.

Russia “simply labeled its enemies and victims in Europe as Nazis”, said Keir Giles, a country observer who wrote the Nato report on information warfare.

“We see this not only in Ukraine, but also in Russia’s slander against the Baltic states,” he said.

“You can’t believe the narrative that Ukraine is Nazi, as Putin claims, but you also can’t say that neo-Nazism in the country is insignificant,” said Andrew Traumann, Professor of International Relations at UniCuritiba University in Brazil.

Russia attacks Ukraine:

But Amy Randall, a historian at California’s Santa Clara University, told the BBC: “Ukraine was not controlled by the Nazis or the fascists.”

He noted that while ultra-nationalist and fascist groups have flourished in recent years, it “is a global problem, not a unique problem in Ukraine.”

“In fact, Ukraine’s democratically elected government is led by its Jewish president, Volodymyr Zelensky, whose great-uncle and other family members were murdered during the Holocaust.”

Far-right parties have emerged more strongly in recent elections in Germany and France than in Ukraine.

* Report by Luiz Antonio Arajo Of Porto Alegre and Mariana Sanches Of Washington.

Also watch the video: The figure of Ukrainian actress Oksana Shvets who died as a result of the Russian attack

[Gambas:Video 20detik]

(ita / ita)

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