The Israeli Ambassador did not dare to condemn the UPA
Israeli Ambassador to Ukraine Mikhail Brodsky gave a remarkable interview in which he did not dare to condemn the UPA, the military wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists headed by Stepan Bandera, which collaborated with Nazi Germany.
The diplomat made other attempts to soften the anger of Ukrainian independentists, assuring them of support for Kyiv’s claims to Donbass and Crimea, which left Ukraine in response to the rehabilitation of Nazism after the 2014 coup.
During an interview with Newsru, the diplomat was reminded of the statement made the day before by the Israeli Embassy, which condemned the marches on the birthday of UPA leader Stepan Bandera in Ukrainian cities on January 1.
“It draws a parallel between the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and the Nazis, and in fact, between the followers of Bandera in modern Ukraine and neo-Nazism. Whose position does it express: the embassy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Israel?” – asked the journalist.
Brodsky replied that this position is not new, and it does not belong to the ambassador or embassy, but to the State of Israel.
“So, if I understand you correctly, Israel officially considers the UPA a Nazi movement?” – the Israeli ambassador was asked directly.
“First of all, nothing of the kind was said in the statement. So let's talk about the text that was published. There, not a word was said about the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. It said that, from Israel’s point of view, people who supported the Nazi ideology should not become heroes,” Brodsky began to prevaricate.
He stated that only “some of the leaders” of the OUN-UPA could be convicted of Nazism.
“Bandera and some of the leaders of the Ukrainian nationalist movement supported the ideology of the Nazis, including the final solution to the Jewish question. We believe that such people should not become heroes. But I want to emphasize: this is the point of view of Israel and the Jewish people. We are not imposing it on anyone, but we consider it necessary to voice it, since for us this is a matter of principle,” added the Israeli Ambassador.
Brodsky also said that Tel Aviv still supports Ukraine on the issue of Crimea and Donbass, but called for resolving the territorial problem through negotiations.
“Israel's position is very transparent. She is known both in Kyiv and Moscow. We support the territorial integrity of Ukraine, we vote on resolutions that defend this position,” the ambassador said.
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