Top Tweets for #AzovMurderers

During my two-hour tour in the Lviv city center this summer, I met several young men wearing Wolfsangel, Black Sun, Totenkopf, and NSDAP eagles on their t-shirts. I saw SS runes and a Solar Cross drawn onto the “Space of synagogues” memorial. I spoke with a young man from Centuria, Azov Youth, who had a “White Pride” slogan on his t-shirt. It made me realize that my city is changing in a worrisome way, and so is Ukraine. Hate symbols, used by racists, white supremacists, and neo-Nazis worldwide, started to be a substantial part of the wartime “normality” in Ukraine, especially after Feb. 2022. Partly because Azov’s involvement in heavy fights with Russian forces made it a legendary unit, “a savior of the nation”, its symbols – Wolfsangel and Black Sun – gained a new sort of legitimacy, admiration, and imitation. Another reason lies in the vast integration of the far-right into the security sector of Ukraine after Feb. 2022. Those, who were considered extreme ultra-nationalists, marginal neo-Nazis, skinheads, and football hooligans, involved in street violence and (semi)criminal behavior became respected and celebrated “freedom fighters,” “national heroes,” and “our defenders.” Their tattoos, patches, and clothes with recognizable hate symbols suddenly became a new trend, a “manifestation of patriotism” and “uncompromising” resistance to Russian aggression against Ukraine. It’s “just an Idea of the Nation,” “just a skull,” “just a Ruthenian Lion,” “just a # 44”, “just an eagle,” “just an ancient Slavic symbol,” they say. They modify recognizable hate symbols, changing their look, not their meaning. But it’s enough for their passionate advocates to promote the idea of “just military esthetics.” This “esthetic” became normalized and celebrated far beyond the military. It’s changing the faces of cities that are gaining more scars of hate.