A Russian mixed martial artist with neo-Nazi tattoos has received a medal for his contribution to the “denazification of Ukraine,” despite the troubling contradiction of recognizing someone with far-right extremist ties as a hero in the fight against neo-Nazism.
Despite the rhetoric of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, who has used the invasion of Ukraine as an opportunity to purport the need to rid the country of Nazism, actions such as the awarding of this medal to Mikhail Turkanov (7-6), a welterweight fighter from St. Petersburg, undermines this supposed mission.
Turkanov has been fined multiple times in the past for his tattoos, which feature neo-Nazi symbols such as swastikas, a Celtic cross, SS bolts, and a Black Sun/Sonnenrad. Yet, he has been honored with the Order of Courage medal by the North Slavic Community for his supposed success in “denazification.”
This decision to award Turkanov not only goes against the very essence of the fight against neo-Nazism, but it also raises serious questions about the credibility and intentions of the North Slavic Community, who present themselves as a “military-patriotic society of modern Cossacks.”
“Forgetting the lessons of history leads to the repetition of terrible tragedies,” Putin said in a statement. “This is evidenced by the crimes against civilians, ethnic cleansing and punitive actions organized by neo-Nazis in Ukraine. It is against that evil that our soldiers are bravely fighting.”
