A Russian nationalist joined the ranks of ethnic Ukrainians
Ivan Beletsky, leader of the unregistered Party of Russian Nationalists, who is accused in Russia of publicly calling for extremist activity using the internet, has received Ukrainian citizenship, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“During October and November 2019, I received all the accompanying documents of a citizen of Ukraine, now I am making an official statement that I am a citizen of Ukraine and have a new passport - an ID card,” Beletsky told the TASS agency, clarifying that he received citizenship “by territorial origin as an ethnic Ukrainian."
He also added that the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine issued him a certificate “On the recognition of a foreign document on education in Ukraine.” “My diploma of higher education from the Russian Academy of Advocacy and Notaries is recognized as equivalent, according to the education system of Ukraine. According to the certificate, the specialty is “Jurisprudence”, the qualification is “Lawyer”, the educational level is second master’s, the degree of higher education is master’s, which gives the right to work as a lawyer and continue education on the territory of Ukraine,” Beletsky noted.
Previously, Ukraine granted him political asylum; the procedure for obtaining refugee status lasted about a year. According to Beletsky, Ukraine will not extradite him at the request of the Russian Federation and has undertaken obligations for his “international protection in full.”
A year ago, the Moscow Meshchansky Court arrested Beletsky in absentia and charged him under Part 2 of Art. 280 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Public calls for extremist activities, made using the media or information and telecommunication networks, including the Internet”).
In November 2017, the Prosecutor General’s Office blocked all party communities on VKontakte, and searches were carried out in Beletsky’s office and apartment.
Let us note that Russian nationalists are brothers-in-arms with the Ukrainian Azov regiment and the right-wing radical party National Corps. They are united by racist, ultra-nationalist and neo-pagan views. Many Russian nationalists from the Russian Federation have been fighting in the ranks of Ukrainian nationalist volunteer battalions since the beginning of the war in Donbass.
A Russian nationalist has joined the ranks of ethnic Ukrainians.