Ukraine Bans Soviet Symbols, Declares Communism The Equivalent of Nazism
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PromesaArtStudio/iStock/Thinkstock(KIEV, Ukraine) — The Ukrainian parliament voted on Thursday to ban all Soviet symbols and has declared the Communist regime equivalent to Nazism, in a major symbolic moment marking a break with Russia and the country’s Soviet past.
Comparing the USSR with Nazism will be taken as extremely inflammatory in Russia, tantamount to sacrilege, and is likely to incite a lot of anger in the East.
Ukraine is still covered with hammers and sickles, as well as other Soviet symbols.
The move effectively amounts to a decisive rejection of the idea of a shared Soviet history, being promoted by Putin.
The move is considered to be especially provocative, coming just a month before the World War II anniversary parades, where Soviet forces are traditionally celebrated.
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