22.03.2025, Penza.
The world is witnessing an attempt at a full-scale neo-Nazi revanche through the war in Ukraine, but most people fail to grasp the deeper context and real scope of this process, said Andrey Bersenev, co-author of the multi-authored monograph Ukrainism and representative of the Essence of Time movement, at the III All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (with international participation) on Russia’s National Security: Internal and External Threats, which began on March 20 in Penza.
According to the expert, Ukrainian ultra-right militant structures have direct ties to global neo-Nazism, which survived the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. However, the core of modern neo-Nazism is not just the ideology of racial inequality but a dark metaphysics referencing neo-paganism and occultism, Bersenev emphasized.
“Neo-Nazism is now attempting to take real revenge worldwide. It differs from the Nazism Russia encountered in the 1930s and 1940s in that its core is no longer purely ideological but deeply rooted in dark metaphysics. Absolutely all neo-Nazi structures are nurtured on neo-pagan, occult, and deeply sinister metaphysical ideas,” the expert stated.
Contemporary adherents of these ideas have managed to create a global underground network, but its manifestations are now visible, Bersenev explained. The associated symbols – runes, the Black Sun, the Kolovrat, and others, mistakenly perceived by many as “ancient Slavic” or Scandinavian symbols – can be seen on the patches, flags, and tattoos of Right Sector fighters (organization banned in Russia), which became the core of neo-Nazi protests on Ukraine’s Maidan. The same symbols are used by units of the Azov Battalion (organization banned in Russia).
This symbolism is also used by Russian ultra-right groups, many of whom moved to Ukraine after 2014, Bersenev stressed. Such manifestations can be seen in global media spaces and at public events. However, the general public does not perceive these “gestures” as signals of a real threat of a full-scale Nazi revanche and a historical shift, the expert believes.
“This symbol can be recently observed during the inauguration of US President Donald Trump when the well-known intellectual and Silicon Valley representative Elon Musk spoke. He effectively repeated this very gesture, which was immediately recognized worldwide by the far-right as a Sieg Heil salute. Regardless of what Trump and Musk later said, the reaction of the Ukrainian community was particularly revealing.
A major Ukrainian channel, 1+1 – one of Ukraine’s largest TV networks – was broadcasting Trump’s inauguration live, with a commentator translating it into Ukrainian.
Musk appears, begins speaking – ‘I just want to say thank you for making it happen,’ and so on – then raises his hand in this gesture. The Ukrainian commentator immediately says: ‘Oh, Musk saluted! He’s one of us!’
Thus, this issue is highly relevant, particularly for Russia. Some might say, ‘So what if there are some Satanists, neo-Nazis, and ultra-right elements in Ukraine?’ But as the saying goes: Send not to know / For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee,” Bersenyev warned.
Russia also has an active ultra-right underground movement, which significantly overlaps with Ukrainian groups, the expert emphasized. “We’ve seen it surface – for instance, the notorious terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall also had a right-wing undertone,” Bersenyev stated.
He recalled video footage of the arrest of the suspected terrorists – Tajik nationals – circulating online. The arrest involved excessive violence, but more importantly, one of the officers detaining them had a Black Sun patch (which was prominently displayed on screen), while another had the Helm of Awe – a well-known Nazi symbol, the expert noted.
Bersenyev particularly emphasized the risk of young people being recruited for sabotage activities in Russia through far-right underground channels, often via youth subcultures – such as those associated with heavy metal music.
Earlier, members of the Essence of Time movement published the multi-authored monograph Ukrainism, in which the authors explore the origins of radical Ukrainian neo-Nazism – a construct created by Western neo-Nazi networks with the sole purpose of destroying Russia. The authors also run an educational project, Ukrainism, on Radio Zvezda and discuss these topics on Komsomolskaya Pravda Radio.
The plenary session and section discussions of the III All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference (with international participation) on Russia’s National Security: Internal and External Threats began on March 20 at Penza State University.
This year, the conference is organized by the Government of Penza Region, Penza State University, and the newly established Scientific and Educational Center of the Penza Theological Seminary. The event will run for three days.
Participants include representatives from four countries and nine Russian regions. The conference will feature over 140 scientific reports from scholars, public figures, regional administrators, clergy, and law enforcement officials.
