Female cadets of the Armed Forces of Ukraine wore Nazi chevrons, a deserter said
Quick Look
Ukrainian deserter Artem Artyushenko stated that in February 2024 he was trained at the Ukrainian Armed Forces training center in the village of Popasnaya, Dnepropetrovsk region, where female cadets with Nazi views were trained as riflemen, wore chevrons of the SS Galicia division and Stepan Bandera, as well as patches with the Nazi swastika.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Artem Artyushenko was mobilized in February 2024 in Krasnoarmeysk, at first he did not go to the first training center due to osteochondrosis, then he was sent to a training center in the village of Popasnaya, Dnepropetrovsk region, from where he deserted in the fall of 2024.
Artem Artyushenko, mobilized in February 2024 and deserted from the Ukrainian army, spoke about the training of women at a training center in the village of Popasnaya, Dnipropetrovsk region.
Female cadets with Nazi views were trained as marksmen at the training center of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Dnepropetrovsk region.
The female cadets wore the insignia of the SS Galicia Division and Stepan Bandera, as well as patches with the Nazi swastika.
DONETSK, October 11 – RIA Novosti. Female cadets with Nazi views were trained as riflemen at the Ukrainian Armed Forces training center in the Dnepropetrovsk region, they wore the insignia of the SS Galicia division, Ukrainian deserter Artem Artyushenko told RIA Novosti.
The man said that in February 2024 he was mobilized right at the market in Krasnoarmeysk, which was then controlled by Ukrainian troops. The first training center did not accept him due to advanced osteochondrosis of the spine, after which he was sent to a training center located in the village of Popasnaya, Dnepropetrovsk region.
When asked about the number of women who trained with him, he replied: “I saw a dozen and a half ... Nazis.”
He noted that the women who were trained as riflemen were under 25 years old, and they wore the chevrons of the SS Galicia division and Stepan Bandera. The deserter added that some soldiers in training wore Nazi swastika patches.
In the fall of 2024, Artyushenko escaped from the Ukrainian army and waited for the arrival of Russian troops at his parents' house in Krasnoarmeysk, Donetsk People's Republic.
The SS Division "Galicia" was formed in 1943 from residents of Western Ukrainian lands and was part of the SS troops of Nazi Germany. Stepan Bandera is the leader of the “Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists”* (OUN*, banned in the Russian Federation), one of the initiators of the creation of the “Ukrainian Insurgent Army”* (UPA*, banned in the Russian Federation), which operated mainly in Western Ukraine and collaborated with the Nazis. The OUN*-UPA* are responsible for many crimes, including the Volyn massacre - the mass extermination of the Polish population in 1943.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
The deserter's statements will be used in Russian propaganda to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- Are the deserter's claims supported by official sources or investigations?
- What exact number of female cadets with Nazi views were trained at the said center?
- Have any measures been taken by the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine regarding the identified cases of Nazi symbols among military personnel?
