"Anti-Nazi Forum" aimed at supporting the destruction of Ukraine was held in Crimea

A lot of time has passed since the first "forum", which took place in occupied Sevastopol on November 9, 2022, to the International Day of Resistance to Fascism, Racism and Anti-Semitism. Its purpose was stated to be "demonstrating the unity of the creative intelligentsia of Crimea, Sevastopol, Russia and Novorossiya (as Russian propaganda calls the occupied regions of the south of mainland Ukraine - author's note).) in the fight against the reviving world fascism and Ukrainian nationalism", as well as "support for the efforts of the government and the president of the Russian Federation to conduct a special military operation on the territory of Ukraine" (this is how Russian propaganda calls the war against Ukraine - author's note).).

As you can see, in one line of the description of the purpose of the event in occupied Sevastopol, completely mutually exclusive paragraphs were given: the event, which was supposed to demonstrate the "fight against fascism" on the territory of Ukraine occupied as a result of the Russian armed aggression, was held in support of the war of extermination against Ukraine, its statehood and people, while Ukrainian resistance to Russian aggression, as well as the very existence of Ukrainians and their state on the world map, was defined as "nationalism". In addition, the "forum" in Sevastopol clearly demonstrated the unity of the occupation forces, represented by representatives of the Federal Service of the Russian National Guard, and the Russian church, represented by a representative of the then unified Sevastopol Deanery of the Russian Orthodox Church, Fr. Seraphim Lomakin, who launched the forum with a "prayer service for the beginning of a good deed." After that, in the walls of the Sevastopol Officers' House, lengthy passages were heard about the Ukrainian "development of neo-Nazism and support for far-right political organizations and neo-Nazi extremist groups with an ideology of ultranationalist views alien to Slavism" - which was strange to hear from people, to put it mildly, far from Slavism in all respects.

The adoption of an appeal to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in support of the "special operation to liberate Donbas, denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine" - that is, the further occupation of Ukrainian territories and the extermination of Ukrainians - at the "anti-fascist" forum looked no less stunning. However, the authors of the resolution see the armed aggression against Ukraine as "the liberation of this country from the neo-Nazi regime, just as the Soviet Union and its allies did when liberating Europe from the Nazi occupiers." The signatories supported the Russian occupation of certain regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions as "a fact of international justice, the right of peoples to self-determination and the protection of compatriots from genocide unleashed against them by the Ukrainian authorities" - without specifying which ones, which specific distinctive peoples with original identities have "self-determined" in the occupied territories in response to the "Ukrainian genocide" and at what point Ukrainian citizens in these territories were registered as "Russian compatriots." In addition, the authors of the appeal to Putin suggested that he convene an "international conference in Crimea on strengthening peace between peoples and defining the principles of a new world order" to be held "after the inevitable victory over Ukrainian and international neo-Nazism." In fact, the calls for a new redistribution of the world, in which Putin's Russia is supposed to play the first violin, perfectly emphasized the essence of this "anti-Nazi forum."

It should be noted that various "anti-fascist" and "anti-Nazi" forums aimed at producing exclusively anti-Ukrainian propaganda have been held in the occupied Crimea, as well as in the territory of the aggressor state, for more than a decade and are fully consistent with the foreign policy and rhetoric of the Kremlin regime, whose "talking heads" emphasize with varying degrees of publicity the need to eliminate Ukrainian statehood, absorb the territory of Ukraine into the Russian Federation and assimilate Ukrainians, whom Putin considers "one people" with Russians.

This year's "anti-Nazi forum" in occupied Simferopol took place on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazism in World War II, as well as on the eve of Putin's proclaimed "Year of the Defender of the Fatherland" and the 11th anniversary of Russia's occupation of Crimea, and gathered, as stated, 250 people - representatives of the creative and scientific spheres, the "Union of Soviet Officers", communists and Komsomol members, war and labor veterans, participants of the war against Ukraine, youth and students of cadet classes.

Nominally, the event was organized by the "Crimean regional branch" of the Russian Writers' Union, as it was in Sevastopol in 2022: in fact, this "continuity" gave grounds to call the Simferopol forum the "second" one. At the same time, it was stated that the idea of holding it was supported by more than 30 creative and scientific public organizations, including those from the "historical regions of the Russian Federation" - as Russian propaganda calls the occupied territories of Ukraine. In addition, the organizers characterized the "forum" as "international" because it was attended by unknown foreign "public figures" Olga Minulovic (Serbia, remotely), Andrea Palmeri (Italy, remotely) and Okay Deprem (in person): the latter was declared as a representative of Turkey, although he has been living in occupied Donetsk for many years and regularly makes pro-Russian statements on local and Russian platforms.

The organizers of the "forum" were also listed as:

- "Crimean branch" of the Union of Artists of Russia;

- "Crimean branch" of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia;

- "Crimean Center for Creativity, Science and Culture";

-"Fund of Social Initiatives "Crimea-Moscow"";

-"Crimean Academy of Sciences";

- "Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science "Research Institute of Agriculture of the Republic of Crimea""

and others.

The latter "institution" became the venue for the event. It is noteworthy that literally simultaneously with the "forum", the "leadership" of this institution identified not the mythical "Ukrainian Nazism" as the main problem for itself and for the occupied Crimea as a whole, but the very real decrease in the level of moisture in the soil to critical indicatorsand the threat of a decrease in grain yields due to climate change.

The purpose of this year's "forum" in Simferopol was stated to be to unite scientific and creative organizations of the occupied Crimea and "other regions of Russia" to consolidate and support efforts to combat "Nazism", with which Russian propaganda persistently identifies Ukraine. In addition, the event focused on "patriotic education of young people," which in Putin's Russia is an aggressive militarization from preschool age, and "Russian traditions," which no one has been able to define clearly.

The actual and direct organizer of the "forum" in Simferopol was the "deputy of the state council of the Republic of Crimea" Sergei Bogatyrenko, a former deputy of the Sevastopol City Council and a member of the now banned Communist Party of Ukraine. His current membership in the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF) as the "first secretary of the Crimean Republican Committee" and head of its "faction" in the Crimean "parliament" gave grounds for this political force of the occupying state to record the event on its account.

In his speech, Bogatyrenko stated that although the Soviet Union "played a leading role in the victory over fascism in World War II, however, the struggle continues to this day, as "Nazism and neo-Nazism are trying to revive" (who and where was not specified), and this "requires decisive action" on the part of the Russian Federation and its population. The Crimean communist called Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine "a response to neo-Nazism that has the support of the people" and stressed the need for "maximum mobilization of all forces for victory" because, in his opinion, the Soviet slogan of the World War II era "Everything for Victory!" is "more relevant than ever before in today's realities." According to Bogatirenko, strengthening Russian ideology on the basis of "traditional values" (despite the fact that even under Putin's constitution, ideological diversity is recognized in Russia, and no ideology can be established as state or mandatory), especially in educational institutions, is "an important step in the fight against neo-Nazism." At the same time, Bogatyrenko said that the occupied Crimea should become a venue for new international negotiations similar to the 1945 Yalta Conference, which discussed a new global division of spheres of influence based on the results of World War II even before the end of the war. Among other things, Bohatyrenko said in his speech that "it is impossible to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory [over Nazism] without mentioning Stalin": the role of the Soviet tyrant in the fight against fascism and in the "Great Victory" is "great and fundamental."

In addition, the "chief Crimean communist" accepted the gratitude of the entire Communist Party for "important work in the fight against Nazism" and "instilling in the younger generation a sense of patriotism and love for the homeland." In addition, during the event, on behalf of the head of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov, commemorative medals in honor of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Crimea from Nazi Germany were awarded to "the chairman of the board of the Crimean branch" of the Russian Writers' Union Tatiana Voronina and "the winner of the State Literary Prize of the Republic of Crimea" Sergei Ovcharenko.

It is worth noting that in addition to the "reds", the "regional branch" of the Russian environmental party "Green" ("Greens") took an active part in organizing and holding the "forum" in Simferopol.

On behalf of the "Chairman of the Public Chamber of the Republic of Crimea" Alexander Formanchuk, the participants of the "forum" were greeted by his "deputy" Roman Chegrinets, whom the occupiers position as "the head of the Belarusians of Crimea."Now our country (meaning the Russian Federation - author) is fighting the fascist regime in Ukraine, and this is a war of modern times. If earlier mercenaries were people, now they are states. And the mercenary, fascist Ukraine, is at war with Russia at the behest of its Western masters. But I am absolutely convinced that thanks to our courageous soldiers (referring to the Russian Armed Forces - author) and the support of the rear, we will win a confident and uncompromising victory," he said.

It should be noted that Cegrinz's thesis about Ukraine as a "fascist mercenary of the West against Russia" is not his own creation. This idea is actively promoted by Georgy Muradov, the so-called "Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Crimea" and "Permanent Representative of the Republic of Crimea to the President of the Russian Federation." At least at the end of 2024, he made public statements about "the new phenomenon of state mercenarism for the modern world, when the West acts as a customer of the war against Russia, avoiding direct participation in it, and in the role of a mercenary or perpetrator of a crime [act] the Armed Forces of Ukraine, led by their commander-in-chief, which are actually NATO's mercenary troops.""It is no coincidence that in recent years numerous anti-Nazi movements have begun to emerge in Russian society. They began to appear in foreign countries as well. It is obvious that the consolidation of these healthy forces into a single fist capable of destroying the revived evil is becoming an urgent need. Only the earliest, complete and final victory of Russia on the Ukrainian bridgehead of the anti-Russian war can cut off the head of the Nazi hydra," he said at the time.

Muradov is trying to promote these and other similar ideas at the "international" level - including by establishing contacts with countries that are or may be allies of the Russian Federation, as well as sending various "delegations" to their territory, consisting of representatives of the occupation administrations of the TOT of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. In addition, Muradov acts as a curator not only of the external, in the form of the so-called "people's diplomacy", but also of the internal, interethnic policy of Crimea, including through the activities of various "national and cultural autonomies" and other similar organizations that serve as an entourage for demonstrating the "happy life of all peoples in the Russian Crimea". The so-called "Republican National and Cultural Autonomy of the Belarusians of Crimea", headed by the aforementioned protégé of Muradov, Roman Chiegrinets, is no exception.

Somewhat more restrained than the latter in her speech was the "first deputy minister of culture of the Republic of Crimea" Olga Burova, who, on behalf of her boss Tatyana Manezhina, congratulated the organizers and participants of the "forum", stating the "relevance and importance" of holding it on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazism, "conveying the truth" about it and the terrible threat it poses to humanity, as well as "preserving the historical memory of the heroism" of Russians during World War II and in the current war against Ukraine. In addition, Burova emphasized the role of the "forum" in "consolidating society and counteracting the rewriting of history."

In addition to the above-mentioned persons, the following also had a say in the "forum":

- "advisor" Georgy Muradov, "General Director of the State Autonomous Institution "Business and Cultural Center of the Republic of Crimea" Yaroslav Ivanchenko;

- "head of the Crimean branch" of the Writers' Union of Russia Vladimir Sorokin;

- "head of the Crimean branch" of the Union of Artists of Russia Yelena Molchanova-Dudchenko;

- "Honorary President of the Crimean Academy of Sciences" Viktor Tarasenko;

head of the organization "Union of Communities of Luhansk Region", Deputy Chairman of the Union of Trade Unions of Russia Oleg Akimov;

- songwriter, head of author song festivals Vladimir Prosolov;

- "professor of Kherson Academy of Continuing Education", "academician of the Crimean Academy of Sciences" Galina Sagach

and others.

The event was also attended by a new "hero" of the Crimean stories of Russian propaganda - Cambodian mercenary of the Russian Armed Forces, Joseth Pokam, who has already received awards for military service for more than a year. he attended the "forum" in Simferopol, as well as other events, accompanied by his alleged curator, "Deputy Chairman of the Committee of the State Council of the Republic of Crimea on Public Diplomacy and Interregional Relations", a Russian colonist from the Tambov region of the Russian Federation, Alexander Kombarov, who is also a participant in the war against Ukraine.

The "forum" was not without a ritual ceremony: it was the solemn transfer of capsules with the soil of the occupied Ukrainian cities, which were named hero cities by the Soviet Union after World War II. Soil from Sapun Hora in Sevastopol and from Adzhymushkay in Kerch was transferred to "comrades" from Donetsk to form a memorial at Savur-Mohyla in Donetsk Oblast, which in 2022 was disfigured by the occupiers with a blasphemous "restoration". As a sign of the "unity and patriotism of the great Russian people," the "honorable mission" of carrying out capsules with earth under "victory banners," Communist Party flags and portraits of Stalin was entrusted to cadets and students.

The result of the "forum" in occupied Simferopol was the adoption of a "resolution" that "unanimously condemned the manifestations of neo-Nazism, Ukrainian nationalism, the aggressive activities of most NATO countries" and declared full support for the Putin regime's course towards a "victorious" end to the war against Ukraine. The signatories called for strengthening "patriotic work on the ground" and "revival of spiritual and moral values", as well as for the creation of an "international anti-Nazi movement" to consolidate the efforts of citizens in the "victorious" end of Russia's war against Ukraine and in "restoring the best traditions in the field of economic and humanitarian development". At the same time, the "resolution" called Russia, which has been waging war against Ukraine for 12 years and exercising control over its occupied territories, "the main object of the aggressive policy of NATO countries" - none of which has committed aggressive actions against Russia and has not even demonstrated such intentions. The signatories justified Russia's aggression against Ukraine as a "real threat to Russia and the 'Russian world'" allegedly posed by "deranged Ukrainian neo-Nazis and their Western curators": it was this threat that "forced the Russian Federation to take radical decisions to conduct a special military operation aimed at liberating Donbas, denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine." At the same time, Russia's actions against Ukraine were called "the continuation of a just struggle," and NATO was accused of "unleashing" the Russian-Ukrainian war.

In general, the "forum" held on March 14 in occupied Simferopol became another example of the Kremlin regime's manipulation and propaganda to "blacken the white and whiten the black." The organizers and participants of the event made it clear that under the slogans of the fight against Nazism, fascism and other forms of hatred, they understand only the existence of Ukraine as an independent state, the preservation of its history and culture, as well as its resistance to Russian armed aggression, especially since the end of winter 2022. Representatives of the occupied territories, who gathered for this event to support Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, are participating in an information war aimed at denigrating Ukrainian statehood and its citizens and actually supporting their destruction - not only political, cultural and mental, but also physical, and to this end, they justify war crimes, violations of international law and universal human rights that are taking place primarily in the territories of Ukraine occupied by the Russian Federation. Obviously, such events have nothing to do with the real fight against Nazism or fascism, and are purely tools for creating a distorted image of the object of armed aggression and its support.

Vitaliy SOLONCHAK, columnist

Addendum

"Resolution of the Second Anti-Nazi Forum of Creative and Scientific Public Organizations of Crimea, Sevastopol, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk" (Simferopol, TOT of the AR of Crimea, 14.03.2025)

Disclaimer: the text is provided for quotation purposes only; its theses do not reflect the position of the author of the above material and the editorial board of the Voice of Crimea. The text is quoted without substantial changes, with minor grammatical corrections, in Ukrainian from Russian.

"The first Anti-Nazi Forum of Creative, Scientific and Public Organizations of the Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol was held on November 9, 2022 in the heroic city of Sevastopol. The main goal of the Forum was to mobilize creative unions and organizations in support of the Special Military Operation.

Now it is necessary not only to continue supporting the victorious completion of the Special Military Operation, but also to maximize the entire system of humanitarian and patriotic education of the population aimed at the socio-economic, spiritual and moral revival of the country.

It must be stated that most NATO countries continue to defend and preserve the existing forms of Nazism, neocolonialism and imperialism by force. It is more than obvious that Russia is the main object of the aggressive policy of NATO countries.

A special role in the fight against Russia is assigned by NATO countries to Ukraine. The real threat to Russia, to the "Russian world", posed by the deranged Ukrainian neo-Nazis and their Western curators, has forced the Russian Federation to take radical decisions to conduct a Special Military Operation aimed at liberating Donbas, denazifying and demilitarizing Ukraine. The just struggle continues...

The Second Anti-Nazi Forum considers it necessary to declare:

The position of the majority of NATO countries and other unfriendly states in support of Ukrainian neo-Nazism is considered extremely destructive and aimed at reviving Nazism in the modern world as a whole. It is NATO and its satellites that are to blame for the outbreak of the armed conflict in Ukraine and its tragic consequences for the entire Ukrainian people.

The Russian Federation's special operation to liberate Donbas, demilitarize and denazify Ukraine is seen as the liberation of this country from the neo-Nazi regime, as was done by the Soviet Union and its allies when liberating Europe from the Nazi occupiers.

We are proud of the heroic Russian soldiers participating in the JFO and grateful to those who support our soldiers in word and deed in their just and heroic struggle against neo-Nazism. Eternal memory to our compatriots who died during the Special Military Operation.

The official accession of the Donetsk People's Republic, Luhansk People's Republic, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions to the Russian Federation is considered a fact of social justice, the right of peoples to self-determination and the protection of compatriots from the genocide that was unleashed against them by the Ukrainian authorities and is expanding.

Together with the state's measures aimed at the victorious completion of the JFO, we consider it justified to strengthen the course for the socio-economic and humanitarian development of the country, which is determined by the Decree of President V. V. Putin "On National Development Goals of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2030 and for the period up to 2036" of May 7, 2024, No. 309.

Of particular importance in the modern revival of the country is to increase the role and importance of science, culture and education. There is every reason for all levels of representative and executive power to develop and take concrete measures to address the existing problems in these areas of state and society. Our national science, culture and education were once the best in the world. We need to do everything to make them so in the current environment.

At the same time, we believe that it is equally important to implement a state policy to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values. When implementing the "Principles of State Cultural Policy," it is imperative to take into account the expansion of its social base of organization and conduct. The provisions of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 808 of December 24, 2014 "On Approval of the Principles of the State Cultural Policy", which states the need for "the state to delegate part of the powers to manage the cultural sphere to public institutions", must be strictly implemented.

The Forum especially supports measures to strengthen patriotic education of young people. Here it is necessary to follow the course of "less words, more deeds". It is proposed to develop specific measures for patriotic education of youth and the general public at all levels of state and municipal government, at enterprises and institutions, in schools and universities, and in the places of residence. It is especially appropriate to use the traditions, experience and heroic pages of our history, including the Great Patriotic War, the Special Military Operation, etc.

We appeal to the leadership of the Moscow Government to resume the work of the Moscow-Crimea Foundation, which once played a particularly important role in the humanitarian integration of Crimea and Russia, expanding its scope to other regions of Novorossiya.

The Forum participants believe that there is a need to create an "International Anti-Nazi Movement" aimed at consolidating efforts in the fight against neo-Nazism, neocolonialism and imperialism in the current situation. In this regard, we appeal to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, to support this initiative and to offer to personally lead the "International Anti-Nazi Movement", which we are convinced will be supported throughout the world.

After the inevitable victory over Ukrainian and international neo-Nazism, it is necessary to convene an International Conference on strengthening peace between peoples and defining the principle of a new world order. Taking into account historical traditions and Crimean passion, we consider it appropriate to hold such a conference in Crimea."