Owner of Controversial Ukrainian Flag Displayed in Protests in Favor of Bolsonaro is Brazilian who Trains Paramilitaries

The flag is associated with the extreme-right in Ukraine, where Silva has lived since 2014

São Paulo

The owner of the controversial Ukrainian political flag is security instructor Alex Silva, 46. The flag is associated with the extreme-right in Ukraine, where Silva has lived since 2014.

In March, he came to Brazil to open a branch of the shooting academy and military tactics where he works in Kiev, the country's capital, and could not leave due to the pandemic.

Alex Silva.– Fotos Reprodução Instagram - Instagram

A supporter of President Jair Bolsonaro, Silva participates in demonstrations, always bearing a flag in the red and black cores used by the legal sector of Pravyi, a paramilitary organization created in 2013 that assumed the political mandate in Ukraine. He says, however, that he is not formally linked to the group.

The flag is one of the elements that started the turmoil among supporters of the president and members of organizations that defend democracy, this Sunday (31), on Avenida Paulista. It was identified as a neo-Nazi symbol, but Silva claims that this is not true.

Although the Pravyi Sektor is considered a Ukrainian extremist and ultranationalist group, the group's flag is not banned in the country, according to ambassador Rotyslav Tronenko, in an interview with CNN Brasil. "I see nothing wrong with its use," he said.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

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