Germany describes Denis Kapustin as a top neo-Nazi, and his role in the war is a double-edged sword for Kyiv.

Kapustin is indeed dressed in black for his discussion with POLITICO in a downtown Kyiv hotel — though his clothing is free of any neo-Nazi logos or flashes. That’s despite the fact he runs a far-right apparel line of T-shirts and caps emblazoned with white nationalist and xenophobic imagery as well as the Nazi symbol 88 — the eighth letter of the alphabet twice being a not-so-subtle code for “Heil Hitler.”

He has links with American neo-Nazi groups, and in 2021 co-hosted a podcast with Robert Rundo, founder of the Rise Above Movement, which participated in the Charlottesville white supremacist rally.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrylo_Budanov

In 2014, he took part in the war in Donbas, where he was wounded several times and reportedly participated in a number of classified special military operations.

According to The New York Times, Budanov was brought to the United States for treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after being wounded in fighting in the Donbas.

Budanov was one of the members of the elite Unit 2245 of the Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate trained by CIA.

  • @mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
    7•8 months ago

    Here is what I can find about this mysterious fellow. I was wondering why a Russian was helping Ukraine fight Russia and how a Russian became a Neo-Nazi. He is part of a group of Russians that do oppose Putin and part of a group based in Ukraine called “Russian Volunteer Corps.”

    In 2001, when he was 17, Kapustin’s family moved to Cologne, Germany.[5] According to Der Spiegel, the Kapustin family received a permanent residence permit as Russian Jews. However, asked about her ethnic background and her alleged Jewish origins by the Spiegel journalists, Kapustin’s mother simply described herself as “a Russian woman”

    During his time in Cologne, Kapustin was radicalised and became a well-known far-right figure who was associated with the far-right hooligan

    His reach was limited in 2019 when Germany issued him a Schengen ban, or European-wide ban for “efforts against the liberal democratic constitution”.[8] This also applies to Switzerland.

    via WIkipedia

    If someone wanted to do an actual Nazi takeover of Ukraine, it would be this guy. Calling this guy a double edged sword is an understatement.