Protecting Naz….Democracy: Young Man In Ukraine Arrested For Wearing “Ushanka” With Soviet Star

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In Ukraine’s Lviv, they want to send to prison a 19-year-old man who walked around the city in a winter hat with a red star.

As it turned out, he was reported to the police by a local deputy from “Golos”, who carried out the “public detention”.

That is, the stories with sentences to people who demonstrate Soviet symbols continue. At the same time, there is not a single sentence to those who march with Nazi symbols.

On December 28^th, the local police reported a “terrible” crime: a young man from Kiev was walking around the city in a cap with earflaps with a Soviet-style cockade.

More precisely, he did not walk around, but sat in one of the cafes on Valovaya Street. From there the signal came. A whole operational-investigative group left for the café.

The “weapon” of the crime. Click to see full-size image

The instrument of the crime – the cap – was seized from him and a criminal case was opened under Article 436-1.

It threatens the young man with up to five years in prison and confiscation of property for the manufacture, dissemination and propaganda of totalitarian regimes – communist and Nazi.

The police report indicates precisely this sanction of the article – that is, the most severe variation of it. Although it is obvious that the “suspect” can only be accused of “propaganda” – he was clearly not engaged in the manufacture, sale or distribution of symbols.

Lviv media told the details of the story. It turns out that the local student journalist Igor Sholtis, who participated in the ATO, called the police. He also carried out the “public detention”. According to him, there were two men from Kiev.

“I asked where they got this symbolism. They said that they had bought it at the flea market because it was cold. They say they did not know that such symbols were prohibited. We carried out explanatory work. It turned out that they were Russian-speaking Kievites,” said Sholtis.

According to him, the police were then called to the scene, but one of the patrolmen “had frankly not pro-Ukrainian views,” which almost disrupted the entire “special operation.”

“We have recorded his data as well, we will carry out explanatory work, because the person does not at all correspond to his competence,” Sholtis promised.

It is interesting that this activist in the local elections passed from the Golos party to the Lviv united territorial community and became the youngest of the deputies there – he is 24 years old. Nevertheless, judging by his Facebook, he managed to fight in Eastern Ukraine in the OUN Volunteer battalion.

Igor Sholtis, on the right. Click to see full-size image

He also took part in the “Forum of Young Politicians”, one of the organizers of which was the former C14, which today bears the name “Society of the Future”.

Sholtis is a classic nationalist activist: he took part in rallies against Minister of Education Sergei Shkarlet, called boxer Vasily Lomachenko a “mankurt” for his remarks about Russia, and so on.

During the work of the law banning the symbols of totalitarian regimes, cases were started only against those who were seen with communist symbols. At the same time, the second part of the law – which is about Nazism – was de facto not implemented. Although there were plenty of examples of its demonstration.

The legislation makes it possible to prosecute even those who publish “wrong” pictures on social networks.

The first verdict in Ukraine under Article 436-1 of the Criminal Code concerned precisely the propaganda of communism. And again took place in Lviv.

The verdict was passed in April 2017 by the Galician court (this is the same area where the guy in the earflaps was detained).

A third-year student at Lviv University published quotes from Vladimir Lenin on social networks. What – is not specified, but it is known that the guy was led by the SBU, which conducted a search at his house and took his computer. And also found the book “Capital” by Karl Marx.

The court gave him 2.5 years, but with a delay of one year – and if there are no violations during this time, the term will be canceled.

This was the result of a deal between the defendant and the investigation – that is, the young man did not defend himself and pleaded guilty. But it is interesting that the first victim of the anti-communists was not an old man, but a very young one.

As, by the way, and now – in the case of a hat with earflaps. An “ushanka”.

However, under Poroshenko, this did not surprise anyone. During his presidency, by the way, not only communist symbols were banned. In 2017, the Rada recognized the demonstration of the St. George ribbon as a violation, establishing fines and arrest for 15 days for wearing it.

However, sentences for Soviet symbols continued to be passed under Zelensky. And in his native Kryvyi Rih. In October 2019, a local resident – a simple window washer – received a suspended year for a T-shirt with the flag of the USSR.

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The man also signed an agreement with the prosecutor and thus escaped prison. It is interesting that the Dzerzhinsky District Court passed this verdict – after the name of the founder of the Cheka Felix Dzerzhinsky.

Those wearing SS symbolism and other Nazi symbols, however, there appears to be no repercussions, they are simply allowed to walk around unimpeded, and even are represented in Ukrainian government.

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