"Just as Hitler took over and mobilized most of the nations of Europe for the war against the Soviet Union, so has the United States formed a coalition of European countries that are members of NATO and the European Union, and through Ukraine is leading a war against Russia with the same goal –'the final solution of the Russian question.’” This was the charge made on January 18 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference on the occasion of the 2022 summary of Russian diplomacy. This statement was condemned by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as European foreign ministries, the European Jewish Congress, and the US National Security Council.
Already in the past Lavrov related to the Holocaust in a way that evoked sharp reactions from Israel and the West: when asked how Ukraine can be accused of Nazism if President Zelensky is Jewish, he replied that in his opinion Hitler also had Jewish blood and that ”the biggest anti-Semites are mostly Jews themselves.” At that time, Russian President Putin had to call Prime Minister Bennett to resolve the diplomatic crisis.
Comparing the Western coalition helping Ukraine to curb Russian aggression to Hitler is a clear distortion of the historical facts. In doing so, Lavrov came to promote a hawkish Russian narrative that justifies the invasion of Ukraine and paints Russia's enemies as the successors of the Nazis. The Russian narrative begins with Ukrainian nationalists discriminating against the Russian speakers in the east of the country (Crimea and the Donbas region). Over the years, the claims have intensified: on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin stated that the entire Ukrainian establishment are Nazis, and now the circle has expanded in his eyes to include the United States and Europe. The Russian narrative presents the war as a struggle between the sons of light (the Russians) and the sons of darkness (the West). A few years ago, Putin stated that in the event of a nuclear military conflict with the West, the Russians as holy martyrs, will ascend to heaven, while their enemies will “simply extinguish.”
The Russian justifications for their invasion of Ukraine take on forms and dimensions that are increasingly disconnected from reality and use images of the Second World War, while cheapening the memory of the Holocaust. As this continues, more and more questions arise as to the need for a clear position regarding the Russian narrative and its conduct toward Ukraine.
"Just as Hitler took over and mobilized most of the nations of Europe for the war against the Soviet Union, so has the United States formed a coalition of European countries that are members of NATO and the European Union, and through Ukraine is leading a war against Russia with the same goal –'the final solution of the Russian question.’” This was the charge made on January 18 by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a press conference on the occasion of the 2022 summary of Russian diplomacy. This statement was condemned by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as European foreign ministries, the European Jewish Congress, and the US National Security Council.
Already in the past Lavrov related to the Holocaust in a way that evoked sharp reactions from Israel and the West: when asked how Ukraine can be accused of Nazism if President Zelensky is Jewish, he replied that in his opinion Hitler also had Jewish blood and that ”the biggest anti-Semites are mostly Jews themselves.” At that time, Russian President Putin had to call Prime Minister Bennett to resolve the diplomatic crisis.
Comparing the Western coalition helping Ukraine to curb Russian aggression to Hitler is a clear distortion of the historical facts. In doing so, Lavrov came to promote a hawkish Russian narrative that justifies the invasion of Ukraine and paints Russia's enemies as the successors of the Nazis. The Russian narrative begins with Ukrainian nationalists discriminating against the Russian speakers in the east of the country (Crimea and the Donbas region). Over the years, the claims have intensified: on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin stated that the entire Ukrainian establishment are Nazis, and now the circle has expanded in his eyes to include the United States and Europe. The Russian narrative presents the war as a struggle between the sons of light (the Russians) and the sons of darkness (the West). A few years ago, Putin stated that in the event of a nuclear military conflict with the West, the Russians as holy martyrs, will ascend to heaven, while their enemies will “simply extinguish.”
The Russian justifications for their invasion of Ukraine take on forms and dimensions that are increasingly disconnected from reality and use images of the Second World War, while cheapening the memory of the Holocaust. As this continues, more and more questions arise as to the need for a clear position regarding the Russian narrative and its conduct toward Ukraine.