In perhaps what is one of the most asinine claims ever made by a world superpower, Putin’s government is claiming that “denazification” and “demilitarization” is the reason for the invasion of the Ukraine.
By: Greg Staley
Written On: 2022-02-26
There is no need to feel sorry for Ukraine – at least that is the general sentiment that drips from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as he attempts to provide the “justification” for the Ukrainian invasion.
Putin’s Foreign Minister has stated to Russia’s state-owned news broadcaster TASS that the justification for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is to ensure the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine – a bizarre claim from a Foreign Minister that appears to have its origins in a Canadian military visit with the Ukrainian Azov Battalion that appears to have ties to Nazi Ideology.
You see, according to Mr. Lavrov, the reason Putin has invaded Ukraine is to ensure the “demilitarization of Ukraine” and “ensure the denazification of Ukraine” the minister stressed. Where does such a bizarre claim come from? Why would Russia’s foreign Minister insinuate that the reason for invading another democratic nation is to de-nazify them? Insert the Ukrainian Azov battalion.
The Azov Battalion
The Azov Battalion was created in May 2014 — a month after the “Anti-Terrorist Operation” was announced in eastern Ukraine. It was formed by members of two neo-Nazi groups, Patriot of Ukraine and the Social-National Assembly.
The Azov Battalion found its origins after the separatist conflict broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014 (OpenDemocracy, 2016). According to OpenDemocracy, “The group was created by members of two closely related ultra-nationalist and neo-Nazi organizations: the Social-National Assembly and the Patriot of Ukraine (Miller, 2018).”
The unit quickly gained a reputation for helping the underequipped Ukrainian military forces. This relationship between the Azov unit and the Ukrainian government is further blurred when we consider that In February of 2014, Arsen Avakov, became Ukraine’s interior minister and began to patronize the alleged the Patriot of Ukraine, Azov and Biletsky himself.
How does this play into Putin’s propaganda?
Putin has begun using social media to help spread his sinister twisting of truth regarding Ukraine – Putin’s version of events says that Ukraine must be bombed and invaded to save them from the Nazification that is spreading from within their ranks from the likes of those in the Azov battalion and their political wings.
The issue is that this type of propaganda presents just enough truth in it to lead the low-level educated on social media to propagate the misinformation. Putin is trying to communicate that he is the good guy while he commits atrocities in Ukraine and he’s using Canada as the middle-man.
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