Ukraine hits out at Mick Lynch for claiming Kyiv provoked invasion

Ukraine hits out at rail union boss Mick Lynch for claiming government provoked Russia’s invasion with ‘Nazi imagery’

• Mick Lynch claimed that Kyiv had provoked Putin by ‘playing with  Nazi imagery’
• Ukraine’s government have now hit back at the militant rail union boss 
• Oleksandr Kubrakov, accused Mr Lynch of losing his ‘connection with reality’ 

Ukraine’s government yesterday hit back at militant rail union boss Mick Lynch for claiming that Kyiv provoked Russia’s invasion by ‘playing with Nazi imagery’.

Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s infrastructure secretary, accused Mr Lynch of losing his ‘connection with reality’ by peddling Kremlin propaganda.

He said the RMT boss should instead be expressing solidarity with murdered Ukrainian rail workers, who have provided a lifeline for millions of fleeing refugees. Mr Lynch has denied repeating Kremlin propaganda.

Militant RMT union boss Mick Lynch claimed Kyiv provoked Russia’s invasion by ‘playing with Nazi imagery’. Oleksandr Kubrakov, Ukraine’s infrastructure secretary, accused Mr Lynch of losing his ‘connection with reality’ by peddling Kremlin propaganda

Mr Kubrakov spoke to the Daily Mail as he and Transport Secretary Grant Shapps signed a deal to help restore transport links in Ukraine, bringing UK support to nearly £4billion.

In an interview with the New Statesman magazine this month, Mr Lynch said: ‘The EU also provoked a lot of trouble in Ukraine. It was all about being pro-EU and all the rest of it.

‘There were a lot of corrupt politicians in Ukraine… There were an awful lot of people [in Ukraine] playing with Nazi imagery and going back to the [Second World] War, and all that.’

The claims about the role of neo-Nazi groups in Ukraine echo those of the Kremlin.

Asked about the comments, Mr Kubrakov said: ‘This is absolutely the Russian narrative. In Russia they have the same rhetoric, they have the same messages.

‘It’s disappointing to hear such thoughts and ideas from the man representing Britain’s rail community, because our people, our workers on our railway, they are heroes.

‘Even yesterday, some of our railway workers and employees were killed by Russian attacks and many more were injured, and instead he [Mr Lynch] should be showing solidarity with them.’

The RMT, and particularly Eddie Dempsey, Mr Lynch’s deputy, have long had sympathies for the pro-Putin separatists in the east of Ukraine.

Mr Dempsey visited the Donbas region in 2015, where he posed with Aleksey Mozgovoy, leader of the pro-Russian ‘Ghost Brigade’ of rebels.

He was also one of the most high-profile signatories to a Stop the War Coalition statement that criticised Nato for showing ‘disdain for Russian concerns’ in Ukraine.

Mr Shapps said: ‘Mick Lynch should stop parroting Russian propaganda and join the British people in actually supporting Ukrainians.’ Yesterday’s deal will see Britain share expertise with Ukraine as part of a £10million package to help the country rebuild its infrastructure.

Mr Lynch said he had not been peddling Kremlin propaganda. He told the Mail: ‘I completely condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Putin is abominable. I think Russia should immediately cease fire and withdraw from Ukraine.’

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