Lies about “Nazis” in Ukraine
Info Ops by Putin and MAGA Republicans
The “denazification of Ukraine,'' as Vladimir Putin claims, is one of the primary goals of his unprovoked war of aggression. The word choice is meant to evoke memories of denazification of Germany following World War II – an affront to the historical memory of victory over Nazism. Several subscribers have asked me about this and I wanted to give you a thoughtful response.
The myth of Ukrainian fascism, as defined by Israeli academic Vyacheslav Likhachev, has been perpetrated by Russian propaganda long before Ukraine was invaded in 2022. Its objective is to shift the blame for Eastern Europe’s shared history of antisemitism onto Ukraine. Putin seeks to portray Ukraine as a country where antisemitism is essential to the national character. Thus, in his mind at least, it allows him to distort and discredit Ukraine’s centuries-old movement for self-government and independence. The main pillars of this propaganda are built upon…
