http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-institutions_government/nazi_russia_3511.jsp

Islamophobia and xenophobia are on the rise particularly with nationalist groups such as the National-Bolshevik Party, which also calls for the elimination of gays and lesbians. An unlikely mixture of Nazi and Stalinist rhetoric with anarchist notions thrown in, the National-Bolshevik Party seeks to recreate a Russian empire along czarist lines; it is hostile to ethnic minorities and foreigners, critical of Vladimir Putin, and calls for direct action, usually pranks and stunts, to protest political and social issues. Its most notorious action was on 2 August 2004, when it occupied the ministry of health in Moscow to protest against the cancellation of Soviet-era benefits for pensioners and others; this government decision made many Russians angry and provided the group with an opportunity for a public display of their party flags, which look uncannily like Nazi flags except that a hammer and sickle has been substituted for the swastika as a black image in a white circle on a field of red (figure 4).

Despite the rhetoric of the National-Bolshevik Party, it is not politically possible to combine Nazism and communism, even in its deformed and degenerated Stalinist form. …

Limonov denounces the Russian revolution of 1917 as a “Jewish coup d’état” but admires the “green revolution” of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in Libya, the Ba’athist coup of Saddam Hussein in Iraq and the Islamic revolution of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran – all reactionary movements based on either military dictatorship or clerical rule. In his stint as a sniper for the Serbian army, Limonov admired the “ethnic cleansing” of non-Serbs in Serbian areas. His goal is to extend the borders of Russia into the former Soviet republics, producing a greater-Russia that would dominate non-ethnic Russians with a military dictator in place of a czar, a condition of oppressive rule Lenin famously referred to as “a prison-house of peoples.” Ultimately Limonov and the National-Bolshevik Party would like to supercede the United States as the dominant world imperialist power.

No, it’s not, actually. If you don’t believe me you can just search for news reports about it. (BTW possibly opportunistic stuff which Limonov may have said 13 years later would not begin to cast doubt on these.) Debating how close Ames is, politically, to Limonov is possible, as is arguing about Limonov is a fascist. Debating whether Limonov fought with the Serbs (and Karadzic) against the Bosniaks, or whether the NBP are Russian nationalists (and very extreme ones) is, IIRC, not.

And then I am already 63 years old and whatever [sic] you want it or not you become wiser, it is just a necessity. And therefore each year I get closer to Islam as a wise religion.

There’s nothing in it, it’s no different than Madonna’s adoption.

Except that Madonna was never filmed firing off a machine gun into Sarajevo at the suggestion of Radovan Karadžić.

Based on an article published in Limonka under Limonov’s byline, the government accused Limonov of planning to raise an army to invade Kazakhstan.

There’s nothing in it, it’s no different than Madonna’s adoption.

http://www.exile.ru/2002-October-17/feature_story.html
http://www.freezerbox.com/archive/article.php?id=189
http://www.exile.ru/2003-July-10/limonov_for_dummies.html

The last begins by saying “Edward Limonov is a great writer and a heroic figure.”

It seems to follow from this that Ames can not be called an apologist for Putin, and I haven’t yet seen any evidence for this claim. (The “Putin envy” piece which Doug mentioned is not actually pro-Putin, despite its title.) On the other hand, Doug may well have been right to describe him as “basically a Russian nationalist”. If all this is true, then I would have to agree with the general thrust of his original comment.

Right, instead one should suppose that he is commie/nazi/Putin-admirer. Makes sense. Except, I suspect he’s also a closeted satanist.

And if Ames is s a political hack himself, that’s just a version of the “you’re just as bad” defense, and in doesn’t really help Applebaum. Applebaum’s own silences certainly should looked at.