Ukraine's Army Adopts A Slogan With Ties To World War II-Era Nationalist Groups That Were Aligned With Germany During The War

Bandera and the OUN are honored as freedom fighters today in Ukraine

DW: New 'Glory to Ukraine' army chant invokes nationalist past

A new slogan adopted by the Ukrainian army has drawn criticism for its links to World War II-era nationalist groups. The decision has sparked a debate about how the country should address its history.

"Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!" That is the slogan the Ukrainian military officially began using at the country's Independence Day parade on Friday, replacing the soviet-era "Wish you health, comrade!"

The phrase dates back to World War I, when military units from the short-lived Ukrainian People's Republic were fighting alongside German and Austro-Hungarian soldiers against Russia. However it was in the 1930s when it really took hold, becoming a rallying cry for the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), explained Oleksandr Zaitsev, a historian from the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv.

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WNU Editor: The problem with this type of Ukrainian nationalism is that a significant part of the country .... primarily in the eastern part .... are dominated by Russian Ukrainians who see this Ukrainian nationalism as a direct threat to them.