Ukraine – really a Nazi regime?

The increasingly popular Twitter influencer Dom Lucre announced late last night that he intends dropping a thread on Ukraine. In several tweets he alleged that Ukraine is actually a Nazi-like regime, in which Nazi symbols abound. This goes further than the apparent toleration of the Azov Battalion, a known neo-Nazi militia or paramilitary group. Dom Lucre alleges that Nazi ideology pervades and animates Ukrainian society at all levels.

Why the Ukraine thread?

Dom Lucre dropped his first tweet at 8:18 p.m. EDT:

This is a reply to an influencer calling himself Nikolaj. Here is his profile:

Notice the Ukrainian flag in his display name. But Dom Lucre’s dispute with him began with this tweet in reply to part of Lucre’s Rob Reiner thread.

Obviously Dom Lucre took exception to that. As he should, because Nikolaj missed the point. Whatever good President Lyndon Johnson is supposed to have done, cannot excuse his patronizing attitude – or his defining duplicity. He pours out enough oil to run an engine on two of the most prominent civil-rights leaders of his day. (They include Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) But he has only recently credited a political operative with teaching black people how to vote. That, in addition to uttering a racial slur that goes back to the slave days – as Mark Twain documented. (Aside: the late Senator John H. Glenn, Jr., D-Ohio, could have given anyone an earful about Johnson. Tom Wolfe documented that in his historical work The Right Stuff.)

The replies to Lucre’s exception-taking were mostly positive. But this tweet in particular is directly relevant:

However, that user dropped that tweet five minutes after Dom Lucre started his previews.

The preview tweets

Lucre dropped his preview tweets for a Ukraine thread two minutes after his quote of Nikolaj:

Of these, the tweet with a bright red flag with a swastika between two escalators in a shopping mall is the most striking. It shows that such symbolism pervades regular Ukrainian society and does not limit itself to the Azov Battalion.

Though one user disputed the authenticity of that symbol, saying it was a Russian hack.

That’s difficult to assert, given the matter-of-fact reception of that symbol by passers-by. For what it’s worth, France 24 has this TV segment disputing virtually every claim of a Nazi symbol in Ukraine.

Another user reminded everyone that Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is on record against assistance to the Azov Battalion. This tweet quotes a statement by Khanna in 2018:

Ro Khanna has figured in a Twitter Files entry.

By the way, the phrase “Khokhol Store” might not be accurate. Khokhol is a known Russian language slur against Ukrainians. The real name of the establishment is the Gorodok Gallery Mall in Kiev.

This user seemed ready to authenticate the flag with the swastika and crossbars with Ukraine colors filling in.

Note the photograph showing a NATO flag next to Azov and obvious neo-Nazi flags.

Analysis

At time of posting, Dom Lucre has shown no inclination to cancel his planned thread on Ukraine. But it’s worth remembering Jennifer Long’s thread casting serious doubt on the justice of that country’s cause. One should also remember the allegations of biological weapons development laboratories in Ukraine.

Dom Lucre might indeed have a new angle on that part of the world.

At 10:40 p.m. EDT he dropped this hint that he might delay the thread for eleven more days:

He might need to take that long to research his subject, or he might not. Everyone will have to wait and see. But if he follows his usual practice, he will have “the receipts.” Every American should see those, so they can decide what pitch to make to their Senators and Representatives. That will go double if the President seeks an Authorization for the Use of Military Force…!