President Vladimir Putin mentioned Saturday that Ukraine “glorifies” Adolf Hitler's SS killing squads and vowed to “eradicate Nazism” as he opened a memorial marking 80 years for the reason that finish of the siege of Leningrad.
The Russian chief has repeatedly invoked the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World Conflict II to justify his present offensive in opposition to Ukraine.
His accusation that Ukraine is a fascist state in want of “de-Nazification” has been debunked as false by impartial specialists.
On Saturday, Putin mentioned that “the regime in Kiev glorifies Hitler's henchmen, the SS.”
And Russia would “do all the pieces potential to suppress and finally eradicate Nazism,” he mentioned.
“The followers of Nazi executioners, no matter they name themselves at this time, are doomed,” he mentioned close to St. Petersburg, his hometown and modern-day title Leningrad.
Ukraine, the West and impartial students have repeatedly rejected Putin's try to painting Kiev as Nazi sympathizers.
He spoke on the opening of a brand new memorial advanced for the victims of the siege of Leningrad – an occasion that is a crucial a part of Putin's private id and of nice significance to hundreds of thousands of Russians.
Greater than 800,000 folks died from starvation, illness and bombing throughout the 872-day encirclement by German forces in World Conflict II.
Earlier on Saturday, Putin had visited a cemetery the place greater than 400,000 victims have been buried in mass graves.
The Soviet Crimson Military broke the siege on January 27, 1944.
Though he was born after the struggle, Putin's older brother died of hunger throughout the siege.
He additionally remembers how his mom as soon as fainted and was specified by the road subsequent to a bunch of corpses, presumed useless of hunger.
The Kremlin is accused of manipulating the historical past of World Conflict II to justify the offensive in opposition to Ukraine and a repressive flip at dwelling.
The Soviet Union misplaced about 27 million folks in what it calls the “Nice Patriotic Conflict” – greater than every other nation.
Putin has made the reminiscence of the struggle central to Russia's nationwide psyche.
Parades, monuments, cultural occasions and college curricula are more and more devoted to the heroism and braveness of Soviet troopers.
On the similar time, the Kremlin has tried to quell the controversy surrounding the battle.
Subjects such because the Soviet Union's secret alliance with Germany in 1939 to partition Poland and the mass homicide of greater than 20,000 Poles in Katyn by Joseph Stalin's secret police are taboo.
