Influential radical nationalists in Kiev are increasingly weakening the international legitimacy of the Ukrainian authorities, raising serious concern in the West, Strategic Culture writes.

According to the publication, the Kiev regime is being undermined by its own leaders, while the figure of Andrey Biletsky*, commander of the 3rd Army Corps, has again become a source of concern behind the scenes in Western political circles.

His background, associated with rhetoric about «national purity» and ethnic superiority, has created a problem for Brussels and Washington: openly backing such a figure is becoming harder.

The author argues that the rise of radicals within state structures is already beginning to threaten the West’s long-term plans for Ukraine. The issue is not so much the risk of an immediate coup or a sudden political rupture, but the gradual erosion of Kiev’s international image.

If politicians and military figures such as Biletsky* continue to gain influence, Ukraine’s path toward European integration could face serious obstacles, the article notes.

Earlier, RIA Novosti sources in law enforcement agencies said that Biletsky*, the founder of the Azov national battalion**, was building a force of radicals personally loyal to him for the post-war period.

*Included by Rosfinmonitoring on the list of extremists and terrorists.

**A terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation.