Ukraine's capital has taken further steps to embrace Nazi sympathizers, both from its grim past and its uncertain present, mirroring the excesses of China's 1960s Cultural Revolution: On Thursday it renamed one street after a WWII-era Nazi stooge and yet another after its modern-day volunteer battalions.
The street on which the city's Russian consulate is located was renamed "Volunteer Battalions Street." Ukraine's volunteer battalions include the Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, as well as Right Sector and other armed wings of right-wing and Neo-Nazi groups. Another pick was "Kyrylo Osmak Street"; Osmak was a Nazi collaborator.
"Today a plenary meeting of the Kiev city council decided to rename streets, squares and avenues in the city of Kiev," Kiev's city council stated in a release.
Renaming streets housing diplomatic offices was previously practiced during the Cultural Revolution in China, when the street where the Soviet embassy was located was renamed "Anti-Revisionist Street" and the street where the US embassy was located was renamed "Anti-Imperialist Street." China later reverted the renamings, claiming they were excessive.
Kiev is expected to rename a total of 122 streets in accordance with a law passed by Ukraine's parliament in April. Ukraine's culture minister has also ordered the dismantling of all museum pieces dedicated to the country's Soviet period.
