Jewish businessman paid for Nazi graffiti in Ukraine before Russia invaded
Ukrainian oligarch Pavel Fuks, accused of paying locals to daub swastikas in Kahriv and Kyiv, quoted saying ‘he had no choice’ after Russian agents approached him.
An oligarch with Russian ties reportedly paid Ukrainian locals to spray-paint swastikas around the city of Kharkiv in the months leading up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In a report Wednesday, Rolling Stone cited multiple sources that identify the oligarch behind the alleged plot as Pavel Fuks, a Jewish-Ukrainian businessman who has accumulated most of his wealth from ventures in Russia.
Fuks, who reportedly held Russian citizenship in the past, was allegedly approached by Russian agents and persuaded to pay local criminals anywhere between $500 and $1,500 through intermediaries to vandalize the streets of Kharkiv with Nazi symbols.
The report cited several Ukrainians, including former top kickboxer Oleg Plyush, who said Fuks had employed intermediaries in order to track down people who would be willing to carry out the antisemitic acts of vandalism.
Furthermore, the report quoted a US official speaking on condition of anonymity who confirmed the allegations, saying that Fuks’ activities were well known throughout the American intelligence community.