Pavlo Lapshyn: From estrangement to far right terrorism? Part 2

Pavlo Lapshyn: From estrangement to far right terrorism? Part 2

In Part 2, I am discussing Pavlo Lapshyn's possible motives behind the murder of Mohammed Saleem and bombings.

Free e-prints of some of my articles

I have a number of free e-prints of my articles published with Routledge. Here they are:

"The Palingenetic Thrust of Russian Neo-Eurasianism: Ideas of Rebirth in Aleksandr Dugin's Worldview", Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, Vol. 9, No. 4 (2008), pp. 491-506. E-print link.

Applying Roger Griffin’s methodological approach to generic fascism, the article analyses individual – socio‐political, cultural and esoteric – themes within Dugin’s doctrine, treating them as elements of a larger integral concept of rebirth that constitutes the core of Neo‐Eurasianism. The article highlights the highly syncretic nature of this ideological core, a direct result of the ‘mazeway resynthesis’ that has conditioned Dugin’s worldview. It argues that this process has been necessitated by his self‐appointed task of envisioning a new stage of history beyond Russia’s present decadent and ‘liminoid’ situation, one that he sees only coming about as the result of a ‘geopolitical revolution’. The variant of Eurasionism that results has the function of a political religion containing a powerful palingenetic thrust towards a new Russia and new West. In conclusion, it is suggested that the new order aspired to by Dugin could only be realised by establishing a totalitarian regime.

Pavlo Lapshyn: From estrangement to far right terrorism? Part 1

Pavlo Lapshyn: From estrangement to far right terrorism? Part 1

Part 1 deals with the context: I write about the murder of Mohammed Saleem and the explosions near mosques in Walsall, Wolverhampton and Tipton; look at what people said about Pavlo Lapshyn while he was in Ukraine; and summarise charges against him.

My article on Pavlo Lapshyn to be published in "Levy bereg"

I've written a long piece (over 3 thousand words) for the Ukrainian webzine Levy bereg where I'm discussing possible motivations behind Pavlo Lapshyn's alleged crimes in Britain.

The piece will be published in two parts in Russian language. The first part will be published on Monday.

Watch this space.

International neo-Nazis respond to the Pavlo Lapshyn case

Here are some remarks from international neo-Nazis commenting on the earlier report saying that two Ukrainian men had been arrested for mosque bombings (only one has been charged):

scousehead
This story just further proves how us Brits have had our bollocks cut.... Immigrants attacking mosques for us

Tani (England)
[...] a bomb in a Mosque. What is wrong with that? I LOVE these Easterners! I wish they had put TEN bombs there if it really was them!

Pavlo Lapshyn case: Brief chronology and charges (to be updated)

7 August 2010 - Pavlo Lapshyn unsuccessfully tests explosives in his flat in Dnipropetrovsk.


20 March 2013 - Pavlo Lapshyn's mother is severely injured in a car accident.

24 April - Lapshyn comes to the UK.

29 April - Mohammed Saleem is murdered in Birmingham.

21 May - Lapshyn adds a video on Timothy McVeigh on his social networking web-site (0:08).

22 May - Drummer Lee Rigby is murdered in Woolwich.

24 May - Lapshyn adds a video on Hitler Jugend training (20:12). Later deleted.

5 June - Posts a picture of a detonator element (03:40).

14 June - Posts a poem of Russian imprisoned neo-Nazi Nikola Korolyov (17:00). Later deleted.

21 June - Posts a picture of Timothy McVeigh along with an audio biography of McVeigh (01:34).

21 June - An attempt to bomb a mosque in Walsall.

27 June - Lapshyn posts a link to the Russian translation of William Pierce's Hunter (0:52).

28 June - A bomb exploded at a mosque in Wolverhampton.

28 June - Lapshyn posts a link to the bogus interview with Abe Finkelstein on "Jewish domination" (23:01).

12 July - Burial of Lee Rigby.

12 July - An attempt to bomb a mosque in Tipton.

17 July - Lapshyn posts a message on the National Socialist Underground along with a song by the German White Power band Hassgesang (22:52).

18 July - The last time Lapshyn is available online (10:38).

18 July - Lapshyn arrested.

22-23 July - Charged with terror-related and other offences.

List of charges (from the West Midlands Police press releases):

Charge 1
Pavlo Lapshyn, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court on 29 April 2013 murdered Mr Mohammed Saleem Contrary to common law.

Charge 2
Pavlo Lapshyn between 24 April 2013 and 18 July 2013 within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court within intention to commits acts of terrorism did a series of acts to give effect to that intention namely:
• Purchased batteries, a lunch bag, clock and green container as part of the construction an explosive device;
• Carried out internet research to identify locations to plant explosive devices;
• Visited at least one area in the West Midlands to identify where explosive devices should be place;
• Purchased chemicals via the internet to use to make explosive devices; and
• Modified mobile phones to act as detonators for explosive devices. - The devices had at home that were ready for use but not completed.

Contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006

Charge 3
Pavlo Lapshyn on 21 June 2013, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, you unlawfully and maliciously caused by an explosive substance an explosion of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to person or property.

Contrary to section 2 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883

Charge 4
Pavlo Lapshyn on 12 July 2013, within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal Court, you unlawfully and maliciously caused by an explosive substance an explosion of a nature likely to endanger life or cause serious injury to person or property.

Contrary to section 2 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883

Ukrainian 25-year-old postgraduate student charged with terror attacks in England

West Midlands Police, investigating the murder of Birmingham pensioner, Mohammed Saleem, and recent explosions near to mosques in the Black Country, issued a statement saying that a 25-year-old Ukrainian man “has this evening (July 22) been charged with the terrorist-related murder of Birmingham pensioner Mohammed Saleem”. He will appear at Westminster Magistrates Court tomorrow. In an earlier statement, the West Midlands Police said that the second Ukrainian, who had been arrested a few days ago, “was last night released from police custody without charge. He is now assisting investigating officers as a witness”.

The 25-year-old Ukrainian's name is Pavlo Lapshyn (or Pavel Lapshin in Russian), he is coming from Dnipropetrovsk, an important industrial centre in Ukraine and a home-town of now-imprisoned former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Lapshyn is a Russian-speaking postgraduate student at the National Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine. In England, he was doing practical training at the Birmingham-based Delcam company.

Pavel Lapshyn (in the middle)

My colleague Pavel Klymenko and I discovered Lapshyn’s account at one of the social networking web-sites, revealing his vehemently racist beliefs and right-wing terrorist obsessions.

On the 21st of June, when attempts were made to bomb mosques in Walsall, Lapshyn posted a picture and a music track praising Timothy McVeigh, a deceased American terrorist who was responsible for “the Oklahoma City bombing” that killed 168 people.

A picture of Timothy McVeigh from Lapshyn's web-site

On his web-site, he also posted a link to the Russian translation of Hunter, a book written, under the pseudonym Andrew Macdonald, by American neo-Nazi William Luther Pierce, the founder of the US-based National Alliance. The audio-book of William Piece, The Turner Diaries, which is believed to have inspired Timothy McVeigh, is featured in Lapshyn’s collection of audio files. The cover of The Turner Diaries is also his profile picture. One of his posts gave an account of the National Socialist Underground, a German neo-Nazi terrorist group, the only surviving member of which, Beate Zschäpe, now stands trial in Munich.

His “groups of interest” include the Russian communities “The Slavic Revival” and “The Hammer of National Socialism”.

In June this year, Lapshyn also posted a poem by Nikola Korolyov, the founder of the Russian neo-Nazi “SPAS” organisation. Korolyov is now jailed for life in Russia for right-wing terrorist attacks and murders. Another post in June featured a picture of an electric detonator element. Both these posts, however, were later deleted. Last time Lapshyn visited his web-site was on the 18th of July, the day he was arrested. Perhaps, he deleted those two posts then.

If Lapshyn is indeed the culprit (the investigation is still going on), one of the most important questions is whether he had any intentions to commit the terrorist attacks in England before he went to the country for the training course at Delcam. I would suggest that he did not. He might have been extremely radicalised (and his extremism resulted in the murder of Mohammed Saleem), but the impetus to bomb mosques was most likely been given by the Woolwich terror attack and the subsequent wave of anti-Muslim attacks.

A more detailed analysis requires more information which is currently scarce.

Updates:

• Pavlo Lapshyn case: Brief chronology and charges
• International neo-Nazis respond to the Pavlo Lapshyn case
• Pavlo Lapshyn: From estrangement to far right terrorism? (in Russian language) Part 1 / Part 2

Ultranationalist activist "Mike Shelby" aka Michael Chtcherbitski

A few days ago, my colleagues, who write on Ukrainian ultranationalism, and I received the following message:

Dear XXX,

Svoboda (Freedom) Party in Ukraine is not a right-wing extremist neo-Nazi anti-Semitic party. It advances the interests of true Ukrainian sovereignty and opposes Russia's domination of Ukraine and Russification of Ukraine (linguistically, religiously and culturally). Svoboda Party supports the legitimate interests of ethnic minorities in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine on the basis that ethnic minorities support Ukraine's sovereignty and act in its interests.

Плагиат моей статьи в журнале "Ярославский педагогический вестник"

Обнаружил плагиат моей собственной статьи Андреем Валентиновичем Гавриловым, доцентом кафедры политологии и социологии ЯГПУ им. К.Д. Ушинского. Написал в редакцию журнала -

Уважаемая Марина Александровна,

В Вашем журнале "Ярославский педагогический вестник" (2013 – No 1 –
Том I (Гуманитарные науки)) была опубликована статья А.В. Гаврилова
"Правый радикализм: современные трактовки" -
http://vestnik.yspu.org/releases/2013_1g/20.pdf

Эта статья является прямым плагиатом моей статьи "Правый радикализм: к
вопросу о терминологии", опубликованной в Вестник СевГТУ - Вып. 84.-
С. 154-158.

Я требую (1) удаления статьи А.В. Гаврилова с веб-сайта "Ярославского
педагогического вестника", (2) публикации на веб-сайте "Ярославского
педагогического вестника" официального сообщения о случае плагиата
моей статьи А.В. Гавриловым и (3) принятия соответствующих мер к А.В.
Гаврилову, доценту кафедры политологии и социологии ЯГПУ им. К.Д.
Ушинского.

С уважением,
Антон Шеховцов

Хотя я вообще не знаю, что следует делать в таких случаях.
А.В. Гаврилов - это вот такое -

Плагиатор А.В. Гаврилов, доцент кафедры политологии и социологии ЯГПУ им. К.Д. Ушинского

UPDATE: После обмена несколькими сообщениями с руководством ЯНПУ статью А.В. Гаврилова удалили с сайта "Ярославского педагогического вестника".

Kyiv City Administration is planning to close the Refugee Integration Centre

Kyiv City Administration is planning to close the Refugee Integration Centre, which has been operating since 1998. The Centre is a unique institution where children and adults can find not only legal and psychological assistance but also home.

Since 2010 Kyiv City Administration has attempted to make the Centre vacate its premises without offering an alternative. In April 2013 Kyiv City Administration started court proceedings against the Centre without presenting credible housing arguments. The closure of the center does not comply with Geneva Refugee Convention ratified by Ukraine in 2002. Moreover, it is against the Refugee Integration Plan adopted by Ukraine’s Government in 2012. On 29 May 2013, 80 refugees from different counties and human rights activists participated in a protest against the threat of Centre closure organized in front of the State Migration Service head office in Kiev.