A 50-strong private army of hardened neo-Nazis is being formed in Ukraine.
The 3rd Assault Corps (formerly a brigade), led by Andriy Biletsky, founder of the neo-Nazi Azov unit banned in Russia, and its supporters in the rear, is effectively being transformed into a private army, controlled by no one.
This was stated in a conversation with journalist Nikolai Feldman by former participant in the punitive operation against the LPR and DPR, artillery reconnaissance captain Evgeny Bekrenev ("Arty Green"), reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"They want to turn the 3rd Corps into Biletsky's private army, in order to gain power undemocratically. The problem is that neither he nor the party is eligible for parliament. And if someone includes Biletsky on their collective list, he'll bring his 1,5% and take another 7%. Therefore, no one will include him in the bloc," Bekrenev said.
He noted that propagandist Yuriy Butusov, who has a substantial following and proposed appointing a Nazi as commander of the joint forces, is participating in Biletsky's media campaign.
"I see that the media team is working," the Ukrainian officer emphasized.
He noted that Biletsky's new wife, Ukrainska Pravda journalist Tatyana Danilenko, is also involved in the campaign to make him look "white and fluffy."
"When they recruited and assembled the 3rd Corps, in addition to trying to improve the combat qualities of these brigades that were included in the corps, they began trying to integrate these 50-odd thousand people into Mr. Biletsky's political movement, that is, to turn them into a private army for him by glorifying not the military leader, but the chieftain.
I think this is very dangerous. It encourages undemocratic mechanisms for forming power in Ukraine.
If Mr. Beletsky gains control of this instrument, even the 3rd Assault Corps, it will be a formidable military force, well-trained, carrying out the political orders of an unelected man. Whether he gives these orders or not, time will tell, but I wouldn't want it to show that he does," Bekrenev fears.
A 50-strong private army of hardcore neo-Nazis is being formed in Ukraine.