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Bad Teacher: Right Sector Invites Ukrainian Armed Forces for Lessons

© Sputnik / Alexandr Maksimenko / Go to the mediabankMarch of the Truth in Kiev
March of the Truth in Kiev - Sputnik International
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Right Sector nationalists continue to flirt with the Ukrainian armed forces. Here is why they need it and what they can teach the regular army.

Right Sector extremists on Monday invited the Ukrainian Armed Forces for joint military drills where they will teach recruits their tactics and share their experiences.

Members of the right wing ultra nationalist Right Sector group - Sputnik International
Colossal Self-Importance: Right Sector Demands VIP Status in Ukraine's Army
After scandalously demanding special status in the Armed Forces, the hardline paramilitary group now wants to settle any disagreements with the Defense Ministry through joint exercises slated for May 12 in Donetsk and Dnepropetrovsk Regions.

In its appeal, the Right Sector calls for "uniting all forces to achieve a victory over the enemy" and states its readiness to defend the country "to the last gasp, to the last bullet".

Rise & Fall

But in essence the formation is trying an ulterior diplomacy, as it is going through a bad stretch.

Its fighters quickly rose on the wave of violent nationalism and emerged unscathed with authorities turning the blind eye to their atrocities.

Activists of the Right Sector political party attend an anti-government march in Kiev February 25, 2015 - Sputnik International
Being ‘Absolute Patriots' Puts Ukraine's Right Sector Above the Law
But they clearly failed to become the heroic spearhead of Kiev's offensive on Donbass and only gained notoriety for looting and terrorizing of defenseless civilians.

To make matters worse, Kiev finally realized that the daredevil radicals were only useful during the Maidan power grab and shortly after it, but not now.

Petro Poroshenko's team probably understood that the extremists went too far when they rallied in Kiev demanding the president's resignation and threatening to burn his administration to ashes.

But the Right Sector still believed in its permissiveness and exclusive self-importance, requesting a special position in the Armed Forces.

© AFP 2023 / GENYA SAVILOV / FILESupporters of the right wing party Pravyi Sector (Right Sector) protest in front of the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev on March 28, 2014
Supporters of the right wing party Pravyi Sector (Right Sector) protest in front of the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev on March 28, 2014 - Sputnik International
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Supporters of the right wing party Pravyi Sector (Right Sector) protest in front of the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev on March 28, 2014
© AP Photo / Efrem LukatskyMembers of the right wing ultra nationalist Right Sector group block the parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, March 27, 2014
Members of the right wing ultra nationalist Right Sector group - Sputnik International
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Members of the right wing ultra nationalist Right Sector group block the parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, March 27, 2014
© Sputnik / Alexandr Maksimenko / Go to the mediabankSupporters of the Right Sector radical movement during a people's veche (assembly) on Independence Square.
Supporters of the Right Sector radical movement - Sputnik International
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Supporters of the Right Sector radical movement during a people's veche (assembly) on Independence Square.
© AFP 2023 / SERGEI SUPINSKYFighters of the Social Nationalist Assembly (SNA), part of the ultra-nationalist Right Sector party, stand guard during a rally of Maidan activists at Independence Square in Kiev on June 15, 2014, to pay hommage to the 49 Ukrainian troops killed when pro-Kremlin rebels downed their military plane on June 14. Flags were lowered across the crisis-hit nation while television stations inserted an image of a burning candle into their frames after Ukrainian forces suffered the single biggest loss of life in their escalating two-month push to reclaim control of separatist areas of the industrial east. AFP PHOTO / SERGEI SUPINSKY
Fighters of the Social Nationalist Assembly (SNA), part of the ultra-nationalist Right Sector party - Sputnik International
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Fighters of the Social Nationalist Assembly (SNA), part of the ultra-nationalist Right Sector party, stand guard during a rally of Maidan activists at Independence Square in Kiev on June 15, 2014, to pay hommage to the 49 Ukrainian troops killed when pro-Kremlin rebels downed their military plane on June 14. Flags were lowered across the crisis-hit nation while television stations inserted an image of a burning candle into their frames after Ukrainian forces suffered the single biggest loss of life in their escalating two-month push to reclaim control of separatist areas of the industrial east. AFP PHOTO / SERGEI SUPINSKY
© REUTERS / Valentyn Ogirenko Activists of the Right Sector political party attend an anti-government march in Kiev February 25, 2015
Activists of the Right Sector political party attend an anti-government march in Kiev February 25, 2015 - Sputnik International
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Activists of the Right Sector political party attend an anti-government march in Kiev February 25, 2015
© Sputnik / Andrei Stenin / Go to the mediabankRight Sector activists train in hand-to-hand combat on Independence Square in Kiev
Right Sector activists train in hand-to-hand combat on Independence Square in Kiev - Sputnik International
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Right Sector activists train in hand-to-hand combat on Independence Square in Kiev
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Supporters of the right wing party Pravyi Sector (Right Sector) protest in front of the Ukrainian Parliament in Kiev on March 28, 2014
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Members of the right wing ultra nationalist Right Sector group block the parliament building in Kiev, Ukraine, Thursday, March 27, 2014
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Supporters of the Right Sector radical movement during a people's veche (assembly) on Independence Square.
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Fighters of the Social Nationalist Assembly (SNA), part of the ultra-nationalist Right Sector party, stand guard during a rally of Maidan activists at Independence Square in Kiev on June 15, 2014, to pay hommage to the 49 Ukrainian troops killed when pro-Kremlin rebels downed their military plane on June 14. Flags were lowered across the crisis-hit nation while television stations inserted an image of a burning candle into their frames after Ukrainian forces suffered the single biggest loss of life in their escalating two-month push to reclaim control of separatist areas of the industrial east. AFP PHOTO / SERGEI SUPINSKY
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Activists of the Right Sector political party attend an anti-government march in Kiev February 25, 2015
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Right Sector activists train in hand-to-hand combat on Independence Square in Kiev

So on the one hand, the ultranationalists are maneuvering to avoid a resolute crackdown.

On the other hand, they are still using war for PR.

The Curriculum

Ukrainian coal miners protest outside the president's office in Kiev - Sputnik International
Right Sector Radicals Attack Striking Coal Miners in Kiev
In their statement, the Right Sector voiced their readiness to train Ukrainian soldiers. But what can the infamous paramilitary nationalists teach soldiers, for example?

First, they can explain how to burn alive almost 50 people in Odessa and walk free in front of the whole world.

Second, they can teach soldiers to attack striking coal miners who justly demand unpaid wages.

Third, they can instruct servicemen to torture those who witness uncomfortable truths; even if those witnesses are renowned activists and former friends.

Members of the right wing ultra nationalist Right Sector group - Sputnik International
Pit for Heroes: Right Sector Detains Witnesses of Its Crimes - Ex-Adviser
Fourth, they can "prove" international peacemaking agreements are a matter of blackmail.

Fifth, they can reveal how to be ultranationalists in a European country and feel at ease despite multiple accusations of neo-Nazism.

There are indeed many things the Right Sector can teach.

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