A UNION chief has defended a colleague for backing Vladimir Putin in Ukraine — arguing there were plenty of neo-Nazis there threatening Russia.
Mike Lynch, the General Secretary of the RMT union, is warning of crippling strikes which could bring Britain to a halt and effectively stop the rail network this summer.
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And last night he backed Eddie Dempsey, one of his senior assistant general secretaries, who has been accused of being a Putin apologist and playing down the invasion of Ukraine.
Mr Lynch told Nick Robinson’s podcast Political Thinking there are “two sides in a war” and there is a “slight disdain” for Russian concerns.
He added: “Some of the stuff that’s happening in Ukraine hasn’t been very pleasant . . . there are a lot of neo-Nazis in Ukraine.”
Mr Lynch did go on to attack Putin’s “repression”, adding: “We’re totally opposed to their invasion.”
The RMT’s vote to strike over pay could halt train services in weeks.
