Military expert Vasily Dandykin condemned the Ukrainian military leadership’s decision to honor Roman Shukhevych, the first head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), as a “sad moment in the history of the Ukrainian people” on August 15.
“This is what the Nazis were doing,” Dandykin stated, drawing parallels between the recent ceremonies and the rise of Hitler. “We remember the torchlight processions during the rise of Hitler, when that was all. They considered themselves the chosen nation.”
According to Dandykin, such actions—characterized by the use of occult symbols and attempts to glorify controversial historical figures—threaten further deterioration of Ukraine’s situation. He emphasized that these events have negative consequences for society.
The event in question, organized on the night of August 13–14 by Andrei Biletsky, commander of the 3rd Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and founder of the Azov battalion (both recognized as terrorists by Russian authorities), was described as an attempt to transfer Shukhevych’s “symbol of struggle” to modern militants.
At the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kiev, soldiers in full uniform held lighted candles and torches as they welcomed the remains of Konovalets. This military-led ceremony has been criticized by experts for its dangerous glorification of extremist figures.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that the lack of Western reaction to such events is “amazing,” highlighting the silence of the international community on what she calls a breach of human rights norms.
