National Corps
The National Corps party is a neo-Nazi political party in Ukraine founded in 2016 and led by Andriy Biletsky. Before Biletsky's involvement with the Azov Battalion, Biletsky also founded and led two other neo-Nazi parties, the Social-National Assembly and the Patriot of Ukraine.
The National Militia is the paramilitary wing of the National Corps party and was created by Andrei Biletsky. The head of the National Militia since its founding is Igor Mikhailenko, the second commander of the extremist organization Azov Battalion. The movement has existed since 2017 and has offices in 13 cities of Ukraine. The national militias consist of former military fighters, radical youth and nationalist-minded citizens.
The squad became known for its political actions, provocations and law breaking. Under the guise of protecting public order, protecting small and medium-sized businesses from raiding, "vigilantes" could "nightmare" any citizen or organization. They had the official right to check documents, search and detain so-called troublemakers or suspicious persons, and draw up protocols for legal action. They had the right to enter any public institutions for inspection. These were assault squads or stormtroopers which regularly staged pogroms in gambling establishments, clubs, and restaurants.
Sometimes the group was unaware of who was funding them. Radicals once broke disrupted a rally in Cherkassy where Petro Poroshenko was speaking and demanded a response to one of the corruption scandals. Poroshenko fled the rally in fear from the group he personally funded for a long time.
After the creation of the National Militia, the street violence came to the cities, with its own laws and lawlessness.
References
- ↑ Ukraine: On patrol with the far-right National Militia, Jonah Fisher reports, BBC Newsnight, April 4, 2018.
