“Denazify Ukraine”?
You’ve all heard that Putin aims to “denazify” Ukraine, which is absurd on its face, given that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish himself and his grandfather lost three brothers in the Holocaust.
However, let’s put aside the absurdity of this argument for now. What I’d like to focus on is the other side of Putin’s proposed equation. If the Ukrainians are Nazis, who, then, are the Russians?
Years before the war in Ukraine…
Several years ago, I was speaking to one of my relatives who lives in Russia. Please note that this was several years ago – before the current war in Ukraine. Unfortunately, this relative has been brainwashed by Putin’s propaganda machine. Still, before the war in Ukraine, my discussions with this individual were more curious to me than threatening – after all, how many people outside of Russia get to hear an uncensored version of Putin’s pro-Russia messaging in such extended detail?
Anyway, I vividly remember my family member making the following statement several years ago:
Russians today are hated by the world, just like Jews were hated by Hitler and the Nazis. We are today’s Jews.
-My family member who lives in Russia
Upon hearing this, I had to bite my tongue because the conversation was becoming uncomfortable for me. Luckily, I succeeded at merely nodding, but the comparison is beyond utterly absurd and beyond horribly offensive. Is a genocide being perpetrated against Russians, as one was against European Jewry? Are Russians being gassed and burned in ovens? Did I actually need to be asking such questions? Did we really need to have that conversation?
Anyway, ever since Russia invaded Ukraine several weeks ago, the censorship and propaganda in Russia have gone into overdrive (I’ve already written about this), and I came across a piece on Haaretz.com (behind a paywall, unfortunately) on precisely this subject. For those of you who cannot access the article, I am posting several snippets here:
From the Haaretz article:
I.
In the days since Russia invaded Ukraine, there has been a sudden rush among Russia’s most notorious propagandists to identify as Jews – including notoriously antisemitic figures who use ethnic slurs against Jews while claiming to be members of the tribe.
II.
What could explain the appropriation of the Holocaust and claims of Judaism from the very same leaders of the Russian regime’s propaganda machine? There are two possible explanations: One psychological, the other political.
III.
Psychologically, by associating themselves with Jews, and specifically with genocide and the Holocaust by the Nazis, it allows Russians to cynically paint themselves as the real victims, and with the West playing the role of the oppressor, as an attempt to push back from the images coming out of Ukraine which show cities under the kind of bombardment not seen since the Nazis in WWII.
IV.
The article provides several different examples of this phenomenon, and links to a music video on YouTube (not suitable for those who find racist propaganda nauseating):
The Haaretz.com article explains:
Sergei Shnurov, the leader of a popular Russian rock band, Leningrad, and the director of RTVI, a Russian television (propaganda) channel, released his new music video new music video called “No Entry: Russians and Dogs” about what he terms the “genocide” of Russians in Ukraine.
In the video, two men stand behind the lead singers, wearing the traditional folk “Tolstoy shirt” (the kosovorotka) but this time, decorated with large stars of David, reminiscent of the yellow Jewish star mandated by the Nazis during WWII. Shnurov sings: “A Russian is now like a Jew in Berlin in 1940” while a female backup singer echoes a refrain about “genocide.”
There you have it
A more cynical and absurd comparison is difficult to imagine, especially give that there is absolutely no proof of any genocide being perpetrated against Russians, and especially because Russia initiated the war against Ukraine, not vice-versa!
Of course, I don’t expect any of my readers to side with Russia in this war or to agree with the propaganda it is putting out… So, I’m not sharing this in order to convince anyone of anything that they aren’t already inclined to believe.
Rather, I’m publishing this in order to increase public awareness of this insane Russian State messaging – and I am letting you know that I am personally related to at least one individual who buys into this! I want you all to know: all of this is very, very, very real.
The Skeptic's Kaddish 🇮🇱 
Truly a shanda! Putin’s invasion and the propaganda fortunately isn’t getting any traction outside Russia.
💛🧡 Muri 🧡💛
Thank you for the truth thrust forward as it should be. It is horrific what is happening and what deceit is taking place.
☹️ so upsetting ☹️
It is awful
There is nothing good to say about any of this. As I just said to someone else, humanity has truly lost its way. (K)
Did humanity once have a way?
Life has always had a way, and I think humans were more attuned to it at one time. The present world seems to amplify all of our worst impulses.
I wonder if pushing the boundaries of the expected way(s) of the world isn’t essential to the human condition…
Perhaps. I think having a challenge is. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we need to untether ourselves from the natural world as we continue to do. That is detrimental to life in my opinion.
thanks David for sharing; I appreciate and share your concern; I also understand how this conflict as you describe it is particularly close to your cultural identity. I for one notice the defensive othering here from the Brits vs Europe; it seems it happens all over, not just against Jews; as for public political opinion in Russia, I notice in the media here mention of thousands demonstrating against their country going to war against Ukraine. Not denying your experience – adding to it. 🤗
Oh, for sure. But those tend to be the somewhat more sophisticated city dwellers.
It’s useful for Putin to stoke Russians’ perceptions that they have been mistreated. If poll numbers are even close to being right, Putin remains popular. Hopes in the west for a Julius Caesar moment are pollyannish imo.
Well, yeah. He programmed them to blame the West and Nazis.
It’s not a big stretch to find this same strategy playing out in America. Tribalizing our beautifully diverse population according to “victimhood”. The Progressive/Marxist forces have been extremely effective. The political advantage of a population ‘at war’ with each other serves those who seek to ruin a ‘good thing’ for their own benefit. There’s no system of race or gender-based inequality but with propaganda and censorship that’s the THEME. Sadly, the government controlled educational system and government appeasing media and Big Business has set us on a dangerous path. I mention this not to diminish your clarity on Russia but because your frightening TRUTH is a worldwide disease threatening us all. Great post!
😢 Susan 😢
😨 David 😡
Thanks for this reporting. I always knew there was alot of propaganda going on in Russia, but not this bad. Just as a note: I clicked on Shanda the link at the end of the post and my firewall software blocked any access saying it was not a good site. Best wishes Phil
Thanks, Phil. I’ll see if I can find a better link
Chilling! The propaganda and lies continue in the US as well! And right-ring and white supremacist militia groups continue to operate in the US and Europe. It’s a scary world! Thank you, David, for sharing this unbelievably evil information with us.
😢 Cheryl 😢
I haven’t looked at the video to be honest with you David. Then again I don’t think I need to! The rest of your post is a frightening enough insight! 😟😟 The absurdity and brutality of it all! 🙁
Crazy, right⁉️
Ignore the words. Look only at the deeds. Always.
There are remarkable similarities between what Hitler did in Thirties Germany and what Putin has done. Including, I’m afraid, western powers looking the other way because they don’t fancy taking them on.
😟 Pete 😟
It’s even worse. I’m reading Bloodlands by Timothy Snyder about the 1930s starvation of 3 million Ukrainians in 1933 and the political killing of another half million in 1937-8. After this history the current claim of Russian victimization is murderous.
Yeah. I have not read books on this subject, but I am aware of the basic facts.
What crap.
Yes.
Yup and to Rhodesians too. Thank you for enlightening us.
☹️💛 Deryn 💛☹️