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It’s been nearly two years since Russia invaded Ukraine
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Neo-Nazi groups wanted to fight against Russia
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The Department of Homeland Security cautioned the groups would gain terrorist skills
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Nearly 20,000 fighters from around the world joined Ukraine’s plight
(NewsReady.com) – The war in Ukraine is approaching the two-year mark next month, and both sides are still relentlessly fighting. At the onset of the war, many people said they would take up the cause and head to Ukraine to help its military fight off Russian aggression; this included members of several hate groups in the US. Now, with the anniversary of the invasion looming and Republican support for aid waning, it seems they have changed their tune.
Initial Response
Just days after Russia invaded its neighbor, the Anti-Defamation League posted a blog detailing the response among neo-Nazi groups to President Vladimir Putin’s actions and statements, where he called for the “demilitarization and denazification” of Ukraine. Where they supported Russia before the act, calling it the “sole white power in the world,” that tune changed when Putin suddenly had them in his crosshairs.
Some groups provided information for their members if they wanted to join Ukraine and take up arms against Russia. The American Futurist, a neo-Nazi website, even posted contact information where people could join up with the Azoz Battalion, a group in Ukraine with explicit ties.
Now, nearly two years in, that sentiment is waning fast.
No Longer a Worthy Cause
According to a report by The Guardian, the outlook of neo-Nazi and hate groups in the US is that they no longer want to take up arms—including putting their lives on the line—for Ukraine. Christopher Pohlhaus, an ex-marine who heads the Blood Tribe, an extremist group, says he “continues to support the struggle of the people there” but that the group is now planning to dedicate their resources to what they call domestic activism. The Blood Tribe is well-known for its hate rallies across the US.
A publication dedicated to Atomwaffen Division, a neo-Nazi terror group in the US, also declared that the Ukraine war was “just not in [their] interests” because there are “more pressing matters at home.”
At the start of the war, the Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin cautioning that far-right extremist groups could gain skills to carry out domestic terrorist attacks, something that former Pentagon contractor Rinaldo Nazzaro confirmed.
It’s not clear if the agency is still tracking those who headed overseas.
Copyright 2024, NewsReady.com
