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Lvov prepares for festivities on occasion of anniversary of forming the Nazi division “Galichina”

The SS “Galichina” division was formed from among volunteers in 1943
Photo ITAR-TASS
Photo ITAR-TASS

LVOV, April 7 (Itar-Tass) — Lvov started preparing for festivities on the occasion of forming the Nazi SS division “Galichina”. With active support from the local authorities, the action involves schoolchildren and students who started making gifts – Easter eggs, painted in colours and symbols of the SS division.

Incidentally, organizers called on young people not to fear the fact of cooperation between “Galichina” volunteers and Nazis: “they had fought for Ukraine against Bolsheviks. Therefore, they are worthy of respect”, explains the press service of the ultra-right youth organization “Granit”.

“We shall follow the example of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania which annually remember their formations on the side of Germany in the years of the Second World War.” Children will present eggs to “warriors” on April 28, the day of forming the SS division. Mass festivities and a torch march will be held on the same day.

The Kiev authorities keep mum, while the Lvov authorities, backed by right-wing parties that won elections here, actively inculcate “Bandera spirit” among the rising generation. They drafted their own text-book of history, substantially differing from the generally accepted in Ukraine.

It is distributed among schools. The text-book depicts, among other things, a dug-out to show how Bandera underlings hid in the 1950s from Soviet troops, making sallies to commit terror acts and murders of teachers, engineers and builders who arrived here after the war to restore the region from destruction.

The Kriivka restaurant in the style of a dug-out of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) operates in the centre of the city, and the “SS Galichina” taxi-cabs shuttle in the city. On a decision of the city council and the regional legislative assembly, all veterans of “nationalist formations” and their widows receive 500 grivnas (80 US dollars) from the budget in addition to their pensions every month.

“Sober-minded population understands where the policy of radical nationalism will end,” said deputy chairman of the Ukrainian Anti-Fascist Committee Alexander Kalynyuk.

According to the deputy chairman, “it is not by chance that precisely young people with the Bandera motto battered former Soviet front-line soldiers on the Hill of Glory last May 9, tore away St. George ribbons (token of Soviet victors) and trampled underfoot flowers on graves of Ukraine’s liberators. Regrettably, suspended sentences were passed only on few bullies”.

The SS “Galichina” division was formed from among volunteers in 1943. According to a decree by Reichsfuhrer SS Himmler, it was prohibited to name “the Galichina division” as Ukrainian.

The division distinguished itself not only “in liberation battles” in Ukraine, fighting Soviet troops, but also participated in quashing popular uprisings in Slovakia, Slovenia and other European countries.