Denazification
Yesterday commenter Shy Boy cited another blog to the effect that Putin has dropped his demand that Ukraine “denazify”. As if that was never a serious demand on Putin’s part. I took issue with that view, and so I’d like to quote Putin’s Q&A session from March 7. It gives you a chance to hear what he actually has to say about the Ukraine situation.
As for Denazification, it remains part of the Russian peace plan:
Our boys who are now fighting and risking their lives, they are fighting and giving their lives for our future, for the future of our children. This is something perfectly obvious. And the people who do not want to understand that, particularly those among today’s leaders (of Ukraine), have to understand that if they keep doing what they have been doing – I have spoken about this before – they put at risk the very future of Ukrainian statehood. If this happens, that will be entirely their fault.
What is going on now? I have already mentioned our objectives in this operation. First, of course, is to protect the people living in Donbass. How? By demilitarizing and denazifying Ukraine as well as establishing its neutral status. Why? Because the neutral status means Ukraine will not be joining NATO. They have it written in the Constitution that the country will be joining NATO. You understand – they have included that in the Constitution!
Denazification – what does this mean? I have spoken with my Western colleagues about this. They say:” What is the problem? You also have the radical nationalists”. Yes, we do. But we do not have them in the government, but everybody agrees that they (the Ukrainians) do. Perhaps, we have some idiots running around with swastikas, but do we support that at the government level? Do thousands of people march with torches and swastikas on the streets of our capital or other cities in Russia, like it happened in 1930s in Nazi Germany? Is something like that happening in Russia? But it happens in Ukraine, and it is supported. Do we support those who killed the Russians, Jews, or the Poles during the war? Do we hail them as heroes? But in Ukraine, they do.
Mark, seen the latest from Luongo? Watching the odysee video right now which is fascinating:
https://tomluongo.me/2022/03/08/media-russian-objectives-europe-troubles-biden-betrayals/
So, the other blog is Riley Waggaman's "Edward Slavsquat" which I recommend as a first-person perspective on Russia and particularly the Russian government's approach to Covid.
http://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/
Riley's anti-war, like many Muscovites. (It's illegal in Russia right now to call their Special Military Operation a "war".)
As for the "denazification" thing, I would expect it to be an constant and recurring theme in all Kremlin reporting, regardless of the real motives or priorities of the Russian state, because just about everybody hates Nazis, right? It's very awkward of the US propaganda machine right now to be tacitly supporting Nazis. This is just basic stuff, PR 101.
Real "denazification" is certainly not going to be accomplished by this not-war. Just look at Germany now. Beaucoup neo-Nazis, despite strict laws and a lot of cultural energy expended against them. Disarming the likes of the Azov Battalion in Ukraine, maybe trying them for the crimes they've committed, probably killing a few in combat.... sure, that's all good. Exposing who's been supporting them, though... that's got to be an important part of the information war.