Mick Lynch suggests EU influence and Ukrainians 'playing with Nazi imagery' provoked Russian invasion

13 August 2022, 11:12

Rail union baron Mick Lynch has come under fire by suggesting that Ukrainians "playing with Nazi imagery" were partly responsible for Russia's barbaric invasion.

The general secretary of the RMT appeared to partly place the blame on the EU when asked about Russian aggression and whether Brexit had weakened the union.

He said the influence of the EU provoked “trouble” in the invaded country and also claimed that "there were a lot of corrupt politicians in Ukraine".

"It was all about being pro-EU and all the rest of it," he said, referring to the pro-EU demonstration which overthrew the President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014, who was a close friend of Vladimir Putin.

He told the New Statesman: "There were a lot of corrupt politicians in Ukraine. And while they were doing that, there were an awful lot of people [in Ukraine] playing with Nazi imagery and going back to the [Second World] war, and all that. So, it's not just that this stuff has sprung from one place."

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Mr Lynch’s comments about the role of Nazi or neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine mirror that of the Kremlin despite the RMT leader and his union condemning the invasion and calling for the Russian army to withdraw.

They have prompted fury among some people online, with many criticising him for being a "Putin apologist" in light of Putin's incredible aggression.

He also faced backlash for his comments on China, after revealing he was sceptical about the prevailing narrative.

He told the New Statesman: “I don’t know if what I’m told by The Telegraph and by American policy writers [about China] is true.

“We were told Saddam Hussein was the greatest threat to the Western world that there had ever been … what he actually had was a very oppressive regime against his own people and a collection of pots and boilers that he’d strung together as so-called Scud missiles.

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“We were told all that by the same analysts that are telling us now that China wants to commit all of this aggression against all of these people. We should stop being so belligerent towards countries.”

Responding to his remarks, human rights activist Drew Pavlou said it was "very sad".

He wrote: "Personally I really like what Mick Lynch has to say about the economy and social justice.

"But he's got no clue when it comes to Russia and China. He even used this interview to dismiss the Uyghur Genocide. Why stop caring about injustice because its overseas?"

Mr Lynch's controversial comments come ahead of further misery on the railways as Aslef train drivers at nine rail companies stage a 24-hour walkout on Saturday.

The fresh strikes will be followed by industrial action by RMT members next Thursday and Saturday, with a walkout by TfL Tube workers on the Friday, along with London Buses - grinding the capital to a halt.

The strikes are being held in an ongoing row over pay and working conditions.

In an interview with The Telegraph on the eve of Saturday’s rail strikes, Grant Shapps, the Transport Secretary, accused the union bosses of being motivated by “outmoded class war”.

He pledged to crack down on union strike action with a menu of 16 proposals for the incoming prime minister, including a ban on strikes by different unions in the same workplace within a set period.