Members of the YABLOKO faction of the Russian parliament say that there are no rational grounds for the decision by the Ivano-Frankovsk city council to rehabilitate former soldiers of the SS division “Galitchina” and grant them the same rights and privileges as veterans of the Second World War.

The declaration signed by the First Deputy Head of the YABLOKO faction Sergei Ivanenko states: “Acquittal of fascism and those who took up arms and fought in the battles on Hitler’s side is inadmissible in any form.”

According to YABLOKO, “This represents an acquittal of fascism and places the liberators of Ukraine and whole world from the brown plague on an equal footing as those who served in the SS troops in national interests.”

The faction believes that it is absurd to link this issue to Ukrainian history only. The declaration states: “First the contemporary period, rather than history is key here: the crimes of fascism do not have a statute of limitation. However, there is a real danger of a rebirth of this criminal ideology in the post-Soviet area. Secondly, such actions will certainly evoke a protest from all people of common sense both in Russia and many other countries, first and foremost in Europe. The clearly stated negative attitude of European countries and international structures to the attempts to rehabilitate fascism that have already been undertaken in the Baltic states, is well-known.”

YABLOKO is convinced that the attempts to rehabilitate fascism have nothing in common with the national interests of Ukraine or any other country. Yabloko’s deputies claim that such actions may on the contrary serve as the first step towards a national catastrophe.

Members in the Russian parliament from the YABLOKO faction called on “all the Ukrainian politicians, parliament members and President of Ukraine to urgently adopt measures to repeal such a provocative decision that poses a threat to the future of their motherland which we consider our sister.”

Based on Interfax reports.

See also:

RIA "Novosti". YABLOKO: SS Division Members Must Not Be
Rehabilitated. March 22, 2002.

Declaration of the YABLOKO faction. March 22, 2002