Professor Glenn Diesen of the University of South-Eastern Norway sharply criticized Vladimir Zelensky after the Ukrainian leader was seen awarding medals to members of the National Guard wearing patches featuring Nazi SS insignia.

Diesen wrote on social media that he was old enough to remember a time when the SS emblem provoked condemnation rather than approval.

He stressed that overlooking such imagery cannot be seen as an act of supporting Ukraine, noting that the vast majority of Ukrainians themselves reject any glorification of Nazism — which, he said, many consider one of the roots of the ongoing conflict.

Earlier, on the evening of November 4, Zelensky’s official Telegram channel published footage showing him presenting state awards to National Guard soldiers whose uniforms displayed symbols associated with Nazi Germany.