Russo-American Neo-Nazi Group Claims Responsibility for Assassination of SBU Colonel in Kyiv

The Ukrainian affiliate group of the far-right terrorist group “The Base”, known as “White Phoenix,” claimed responsibility for the killing of SBU Colonel Ivan Voronych last week in Kyiv.

Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed whether the assassination of Voronych is tied back to the White Phoenix group.

On Sunday, SBU claimed that it shot two Russian agents in Kyiv who were responsible for the killing of Voronych.

In a post on their Telegram channel today, White Phoenix claimed responsibility for the attack.

“We, the White Phoenix organization, are proud of our comrades who are cleansing Ukraine from the dirty-blooded horde! This action is a carefully planned warning to the regime, which is mired in corruption, arbitrariness, and cynical use of patriotic feelings of the ‘white race’ among the Ukrainian people.”

Rather than directly parroting Russian propaganda, White Phoenix combines a message of noxious white nationalism with feigned deference for the Ukrainian military and Ukrainian national history. The channel uses the Ukrainian language to express skepticism towards the Ukrainian authorities, specifically Zelensky, and refers to “Zemobilization.”

The White Phoenix post continues: “The execution of the SBU colonel is not the end, but only the beginning. We will continue our struggle until justice prevails.”

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The Base was founded by former Pentagon contractor Rinaldo Nazzaro in 2018,  and espouses white supremacist and neo-Nazi ideology. The group came under investigation by the FBI, and in 2019, Nazzaro fled to Russia, where he enjoys state protection.

George Washington University’s Program on Extremism defines the Base as a white supremacist neo-Nazi accelerationist group. 

According to the program’s research, “Far-right accelerationism calls for its adherents to commit acts of racial violence and terrorism, including attacks on critical infrastructure, to exploit racial divisions and hasten the collapse of Western society, allowing for the formation of white ethnostates run by white supremacists.”

In April, the Guardian reported that the group was offering cash on their Telegram for attacks on power stations, police, and military recruitment centers in Ukraine.