I Would Still Like To Know

[Stargazer]

why Putin refers to his Ukrainian opponents as nazis. What does he mean by the word nazi? It was the National Socialist Party of Germany I thought.

[DonkeyHoaty]

Because he’s a paranoid megalomaniac who is seriously unhinged and rules by propaganda?

[douglas9401]

His life must be miserable, having to exist with all that poison every minute of every day.

The epitome of empty joylessness, no redeeming features at all.

Good enough for him.

[Buenchico]

The definition of 'Nazi' can be extended beyond referring to membership of the National Socialist German Workers' Party. From the OED:
"In extended use: a believer in or sympathizer with the aims or doctrines of Nazism or any similar doctrines. Also more generally: a person holding extreme racist (esp. anti-Semitic) or authoritarian views, or behaving in a brutal and bigoted manner."

Putin's (pseudo-) justification for attacking 'Nazis' is the inclusion of the neo-Nazi Azov regiment within Ukraine's military forces:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/1/who-are-the-azov-regiment

[10ClarionSt]

People should be aware that a lot of attrocities against the Jews in WW2 was carried out by Ukranians. The Germans organized it, and the Ukranians carried out the plans. Just sayin'.

[douglas9401]

Ohhhh, there'll be letters!

[choux]

Does this help?
https://www.adl.org/blog/why-is-putin-calling-the-ukrainian-government-a-bunch-of-nazis

[choux]

Or:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/world/europe/ukraine-putin-nazis.html

[ichkeria]

I don’t think much thought goes into it, to be honest.
It’s just a way it linking the “Great Patriotic Rapefest - sorry War” with his war now.
It really started in earnest in 2014 and to their shame a few far left groups in the UK were very quick to agree at the time

[Peter Pedant]

well there is this little matter of the Nazi Soviet pact summer 1939.
After the starvation of the 1920s engineered by Stalin
Ukraine er welcomed the Nazis with open arms as liberators

Some men joined the Wehrmacht others staffed the nearby 'concentration camps' - as Jannie Van der Hoosit said about collaborating ( he did time) in amsterdam: you had to live and the Germans paid....

The Germans in their turn treated them with the utmost brutality.
Then the red army came
and a further hundreds of thousands to the Gulags for collaboration ( the whole of the tatars of Crimea, that is why they are now all Russian, geddit?)

Also - - Putin likes Stalin - good man, had some good points.

As an antidote watch The Death of Stalin - it is a British comedy and the actors all had a glorious time making it. [Sergei Khrushchev sniffed: this is not a subject to make a comedy about]

[Hopkirk]

Putin doesn't 'do' truth or reality.

[Ellipsis]

Short answer: he's a liar making an emotional appeal - facts don't matter.

Long answer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-truth_politics

[Canary42]

And guess who spoke out against Putin when he took over his current role, to widespread praise from elsewhere ?

OK, I'll tell you, it was the much-maligned (especially here) Jeremy Corbyn who warned against him.

[Peter Pedant]

Yeah Putin as good then bad
Think Churchill - good war leader pretty crap peace time one

King Juan Carlos
Randy ANdy

there is the potential for redemption in everyone

[ichkeria]

“OK, I'll tell you, it was the much-maligned (especially here) Jeremy Corbyn who warned against him.”

Well that’s not really surprising.
He probably only did it to be different from everyone else.
When Putin actually started doing damage suddenly it was NATO’s fault

[ichkeria]

“As an antidote watch The Death of Stalin - it is a British comedy and the actors all had a glorious time making it”

The Death of Stalin is sublime.
Worth watching over and over …

[jourdain2]

Clarion St. @ 19.41 Not just the Ukranians. The complicity of the French was something I was only just getting to the bottom of when I left there - I lived on what was the border with the Vichy French. Not too many european countries can bear deep investigation.

[tomus42]

It's just a word designed to trigger a sympathetic response among Russians to his 'special military operation'.

Let's face it, who could object to getting rid of nazis?

It's billshut obviously.

[Ellipsis]

> People should be aware that a lot of attrocities against the Jews in WW2 was carried out by Ukranians
> Not just the Ukranians. The complicity of the French was something I was only just getting to the bottom of when I left there

And for that matter the Germans themselves. In other words, if you're going to say WWII is relevant, you might as well say that Putin would be justified in invading Germany ...