Ukraine's Neo-Fascists Are Real And A Threat

It's become popular to dismiss Russian President Vladimir Putin as paranoid and out of touch with reality. But his denunciation of "neo-fascist extremists" within the movement that toppled the old Ukrainian government, and in the ranks of the new one, is worth heeding. The empowerment of extreme Ukrainian nationalists is no less a menace to the country's future than Putin's maneuvers in Crimea. These are odious people with a repugnant ideology.
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Demonstrators wear the Ukrainian flag and hold posters reading 'Hands off Ukraine' and featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin as German nazi dictator Adolf Hitler during a protest against Russia's intervention in Ukraine in front of the Russian embassy in Vilnius, on March 3, 2014.AFP PHOTO / PETRAS MALUKAS (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images)
Demonstrators wear the Ukrainian flag and hold posters reading 'Hands off Ukraine' and featuring Russian President Vladimir Putin as German nazi dictator Adolf Hitler during a protest against Russia's intervention in Ukraine in front of the Russian embassy in Vilnius, on March 3, 2014.AFP PHOTO / PETRAS MALUKAS (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Robert English, director, USC School of International Relations.

It's become popular to dismiss Russian President Vladimir Putin as paranoid and out of touch with reality. But his denunciation of "neo-fascist extremists" within the movement that toppled the old Ukrainian government, and in the ranks of the new one, is worth heeding. The empowerment of extreme Ukrainian nationalists is no less a menace to the country's future than Putin's maneuvers in Crimea. These are odious people with a repugnant ideology.

Read the rest at the Los Angeles Times.

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