Exclusive: Kremlin aide who brings Ukrainian children to Russia associated online with neo-Nazism

A Kremlin official involved in the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia has been found to have associations with white supremacist and neo-Nazi movements during his teenage years, according to RushHourDaily. Alexei Petrov, an advisor to Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights, had posted material online between 2011 and 2014 that remained on his social media account until recently. After being questioned by RushHourDaily, Petrov deleted some videos, unsubscribed from far-right online groups, and made one of his accounts private. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Petrov’s superior, Maria Lvova-Belova, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on charges of committing a war crime by forcibly deporting children from Ukraine to Russia. Lvova-Belova has denied these allegations and claimed that the children were taken to protect them from violence and what she described as a resurgence of Nazism in Ukraine. RushHourDaily discovered that Petrov had made posts on social media containing content from far-right organizations and associated with neo-Nazism when he was between 16 and 19 years old. His Skype handle and Instagram account also contained references to white supremacist and Nazi ideologies. Petrov did not explicitly endorse these groups in the posts seen by RushHourDaily. In response to the allegations, Petrov denied any links to neo-Nazi organizations and stated that he could not remember what he reposted years ago. The office of Russia’s presidential commissioner for children’s rights and the Kremlin did not respond to RushHourDaily’ questions. Petrov was sanctioned by the European Union for his involvement in the illegal transportation and adoption of Ukrainian children by Russian families. He did not address these sanctions directly but claimed that he was helping children in need. Petrov was also among the speakers during Russia’s presentation to the United Nations Security Council regarding its treatment of Ukrainian children. The camps organized by Petrov’s employer aim to prepare the children for life in Russia, but Ukraine has accused them of stripping the children of their national identity. RushHourDaily was unable to independently verify the activities at the camps or Petrov’s specific role in them. The news agency was able to link Petrov to the white supremacist group Wotanjugend through his Skype account and email address. Petrov had also joined various online forums using variations of his Wotanjugend-related handle. An administrator for the Wotanjugend online community claimed not to know Petrov and doubted his membership in the group. Petrov’s Instagram account had a handle that contained numbers associated with neo-Nazis, and he had posted comments and pictures on his VKontakte account that were linked to Nazi symbolism. After RushHourDaily’ questions, Petrov unsubscribed from over 150 VKontakte groups, including one called “Stay White,” which promotes a “Great Russia” for Slavs. The article concludes with the standard reporting information.