By Anton Shekhovtsov; photo: (from left to right) Mickael Takahashi, Guillaume Lenormand, Nikola Perovic, Victor-Alfonso Lenta in Donetsk, August 2014[hr]
An Internet TV channel of (pro-)Russian extremists has published a video featuring four Frenchmen who came to Donetsk in Eastern Ukraine to fight against Ukrainian forces. They do not say their names and think that France will not know of their participation in the terrorist activities in Ukraine. Now it’s time to reveal some of their secrets.
From Moscow, Lenormand, Perovic and Takahashi went to Rostov-on-Don. There they were trained for two weeks and then sent to the Ukrainian city of Donetsk which is currently under the terrorist control. Either in Rostov-on-Don or already in Donetsk, they met another Frenchman: Victor-Alfonso Lenta.
Guillaume Lenormand (b. 9 April 1988) is coming from Normandy where he has been participating in various ultranationalist movements for ten years: Jeunesses identitaires(Young Identitarians), Parti de la France (Party of France), and Troisième voie (Third Way). “Lenormand” is most likely a pseudonym.
Victor-Alfonso Lenta (b. 1989?) is coming from Toulouse. He is a former corporal of the 3rd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment, and served in Afghanistan, Chad, Ivory Coast and Gabon. He is said to have been kicked out from the army for his involvement in a neo-Nazi group. On his return to Toulouse, he actively participated in the Jeunesses identitaires.
Nikola Perovic (b. 1989?) has dual French/Serbian citizenship and apparently lives in Belgrade. He is a former corporal of the 13th Battalion of the Chasseurs Alpins and served in Afghanistan.
Michael Takahashi (b. 13 October 1987) is coming from Paris. He is an ardent supporter of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and has been cooperating with various ultranationalist groups in France and Serbia.
So, what are these Frenchmen doing in Eastern Ukraine? All four are extreme right activists who are influenced, especially Lenormand and Lenta, by the ideas of the European New Right. The four Frenchmen have founded a group called “Unité Continentale” (Continental Unity), and its manifesto provides further insights into the ideology they share.