Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused Europe of turning a blind eye to the rebirth of fascist ideology in Ukraine, pointing to the deaths of 42 pro-Russian protesters in a fire in Odessa on May 2 as evidence of fascist violence.
"For years, Europe has closed its eyes to the fact that this ideology is gaining new backers; its supporters are enlisting new followers, holding marches in honor of former SS individuals who were convicted as criminals by the Nuremberg tribunal," Lavrov said on Wednesday.
He made the remarks at a wreath-laying ceremony to mark Victory Day, which commemorates Russia's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Lavrov said not only were marches being held to portray Nazism in a positive light, but fascism is once more alive and active.
"What happened in Odessa on May 2 is pure fascism," news agencies quoted him as saying.
"We will not allow the facts to be swept under the carpet, as the ruling coalition is now trying to do," he said, demanding a full investigation into the deaths.
A blaze at a trade union building in the southern Ukrainian port city left 42 people dead - mostly pro-Russian activists - after running battles with supporters of the new government in Kiev.
Ukraine's pro-West interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenkyuk has accused Russia of planning the riots that resulted in the deaths.
On Friday, Russia will mark the 69th Victory Day anniversary, a traditional day for displaying military hardware and enhancing national solidarity.
According to some estimates, about 30 million Soviets died in WWII and Russia's victory over Nazi Germany remains a source of great national pride.
Lavrov was quoted by Russia Today as saying that on Victory Day Russians should remember their "duty not to allow fascism to spread throughout Europe and the world at large".
Eye-witness account
Russia Today also broadcast an interview on Wednesday with Tatyana Ivananko, a survivor of the building fire in Odessa, who claimed that pro-Kiev activists had killed people by strangulation, beating them to death or throwing them from the burning building.
According to ITAR-Tass, the May 2 violence in Odessa started with a brawl between pro-Russian activists and football fans, mixed with pro-Kiev Right Sector activists and Maidan self-defense forces from Kiev.
Russia has long criticized the Right Sector group and the Svoboda party - both supporters of the new Kiev government - as being neo-Nazi in ideology.
'Language of force'
Russian media reported that President Vladimir Putin might make a triumphant Victory Day trip to Crimea, which voted to join Russia in a referendum in March, but his spokesman declined to confirm that.
A leading contender in Ukraine's May 25 presidential election says some pro-Russian insurgents in the east of the country only understand "the language of force."
Billionaire chocolate magnate Petro Poroshenko, on a trip to Berlin where he was to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, said on Wednesday that restoring law and order in eastern Ukraine is a priority, and he wants to see economic conditions in the heavily Russian-speaking region improved.
But he said there must be "zero tolerance" for armed separatists who have seized several towns and fought with government forces.
Xinhua-AFP-AP-Reuters
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