WWII Monument Removals Sign of Identity Crisis in Ukraine, Baltics

Eugene Kasevin, the founder of the Victory Day London project, said that Neo-Nazi movements must be prevented at any cost wherever they appear.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Demolition of World War II monuments, dedicated to Soviet soldiers and commanders, indicates that Poland, Ukraine and some Baltic states are enduring an identity crisis, Eugene Kasevin, the founder of the Victory Day London project, told Sputnik.

“I believe that these occurrences usually happen in the countries where people go through the periods of identity crisis. Ukraine, Poland and some Baltic countries are a prime example of such,” Kasevin said.

Kasevin also called on all European states to root out any Neo-Nazi sentiment, including marches of former Nazi collaborators.

“I strongly believe that the Neo-Nazi movements must be prevented at any cost wherever they appear. It astounds me to know that they practice Nazi parades in Baltic countries that are supposed to be a part of the modern European Union,” Kasevin said.

The annual parade of Nazi veterans has been held in the Latvian capital of Riga since 1998 to commemorate the Latvian Legion, a part of Nazi Germany’s Waffen-SS from 1943.

This weekend marks the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II in 1945.

The Victory Day London project is dedicated to the Arctic Convoys that delivered arms and other vital supplies from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to northern ports of the Soviet Union in 1941-45.