Far-right leader's visit to Ukraine sparks controversy

Núcleo Nacional's visit to Ukraine ignites controversy

No Spanish far-right group has generated as much noise in 24 hours as Núcleo Nacional. The visit of its president to Kyiv and Kharkiv, spread by social media accounts accusing him of carrying Nancy symbols, has put the denazification narrative on the ropes.

On one hand, some argue that the image of a Spanish leader with symbolism associated with National Socialism in Ukraine demolishes the official story of a war against Nancy. On the other, there are plenty who see a false flag operation: a group created by the CNI (Spain's intelligence service) to justify the persecution of the far right in Spain.

The two readings of the episode

The first reading is political: the visit takes place in the middle of a war, with Ukraine in need of support and with a Spanish government that has made democratic memory one of its pillars. For a minority Spanish group to appear in Kyiv with symbolism associated with National Socialism is, at the very least, an image problem for both sides.

The second is conspiratorial: the episode fits the thesis that the Spanish far right is nothing more than an instrument of the deep state, a kind of provocateur in a larger game. This current, hard to verify, has gained traction among those who distrust official narratives.

The irony has not been lacking: if Ukraine was the nest of Nancy, what was there to denazify? And if it was not, what was a Spanish leader doing there with those emblems? The authenticity of the images has not been verified. If they are what they seem, war propaganda has just gained a chapter no one controls; and if they are not, so too.