A Russian sanctions bill introduced on Wednesday in the US Senate is named after the Ukrainian neo-nazi slogan HEROIAM SLAVA. The Ukrainian nationalist slogan translates to "Glory to the Heroes". The slogan has long been a rallying cry of some of Ukraine's most far-right groups, including those who collaborated with the Nazi invasion and aided in the Holocaust.
US Senators Marco Rubio and Chuck Grassley introduced the Halting Enrichment of Russian Oligarchs abd Industry Allies of Moscow's Schemes to Leverage its Abject Villainy Abroad (HEROIAM SLAVA) Act, which would impose sweeping sanctions on all Russian state-owned enterprises.
According to Rubio's office, the HEROIAM SLAVA ACT named after the iconic Ukrainian rallying cry and symbol of national resistance would deny companies controlled or owned by Moscow, such as Rosneft, Gazprom, Rosatom, Aeroflot, and RT, access to critical American capital as they fund Vladimir Putin's war efforts.
In recent times, "Heroiam Slava" has been uttered by Western leaders numerous times to show support for Ukraine after Russia invaded it. The slogan was uttered by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
When The Slogan First Arose
The slogan first began in the 1920s, when the Legion of Ukrainian Nationalists, a predecessor to the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), adopted it as a response to the cry "Slava Ukraini" (Glory to Ukraine). The right-wing nationalist group was formed in Czechoslovakia to resist socialism in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (UkSSR), which in 1922 formed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as a founding member republic, reported Sputnik.
According to the report, the OUN in 1929 was formed in Vienna when the Legion merged with several other far-right groups. There's an expression in Germany from this period that says "if someone sits down with 11 Nazis, there are a dozen Nazis at the table," and this situation was no different. When Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, the OUN declared an independent Ukrainian state and pledged its allegiance to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
What Senators Want
Rubio, who is also the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and a senior member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that Putin is actively fueling the Russian war machine through funds generated by Moscow's state-owned corporations. No Russian state-owned enterprise should have access to American capital while a bloodthirsty dictator is waging an invasion against Ukraine, said Rubio.
Meanwhile, Grassley said that the bill will make sure that US companies play no part in Russia's state-owned oil and gas companies which fund Putin's war machine. "As Putin continues indiscriminately bombing Ukraine and murdering innocent civilians, the U.S. must take every possible step to ensure Russia is completely cut off from American capital," Grassley said.
