DEBUNKING “DENAZIFICATION”

The article delves into Putin's invocation of "denazification" as a justification for Russia's military actions in Ukraine, identifying it as a fallacious attempt to gain domestic support. It points out the discord between the Western association of Nazism with antisemitism and the Holocaust, and the Soviet-era narrative of the Great Patriotic War, which centers on Soviet victory and suffering, minimizing the Holocaust. The piece also discusses how the narrative glosses over the Soviet Union's initial pact with Nazi Germany and subsequent atrocities in Poland and the Baltics. Additionally, the article highlights recent Ukrainian language laws aimed at bolstering national identity, criticized by Russian officials as "forced Ukrainization" and "language genocide." Through the lens of Soviet-era narratives, the Kremlin, as per the article, mischaracterizes Ukrainian national identity development as a crime against Russian speakers, revealing the war as a blatant act of aggression aimed at eradicating Ukrainian culture and identity.