Putin, however, evidently believes that the Soviet Union saved the world from Nazism in the 1940s, and that the greatest number of Soviet sympathizers to the Nazis were in Ukraine. He is convinced that he can protect Ukraine and Russia from what he imagines to be a resurgence of Nazism in Ukraine, although there’s no evidence of any such resurgence.An explanation for Putin’s world view is that there is no greater moment in Russia’s modern history than 1945, when the Red Army marched into Berlin, leading to the downfall of the Third Reich. That is the absolute high point of Russian pride and achievement and sense of mission and purpose and greatness. Russia not only withstood the Nazi onslaught after Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa in June of 1941 — the largest and most lethal military attack ever waged in history — but also turned the tide and crushed Nazi Germany, though it wouldn’t have been possible, of course, without Western Allied forces taking on Hitler’s juggernaut.This victory over Nazism penetrated the psyche of common Russians, helping them to some extent to come to terms with horrifying domestic events like the Bolshevik Revolution and Stalinism. Putin, long before troubles with Ukraine started, has been making the defeat of Nazi Germany the cornerstone of Russian identity. However, his recent speeches indicate that he seems to have unduly magnified this threat from ‘Nazis’ in his mind. It’s as if he can’t stop fighting the Second World War over and over again.Over the last few months, he has also been speaking of ‘genocide’ in Ukraine against ethnic Russians in Ukraine, which is nothing but delusional thinking. It is true that the Ukrainian government has made various attempts to declare Ukrainian the only official language of the country, even though there are many people who are native Russian speakers. This, ironically, includes Zelensky himself, who is said to be more comfortable speaking in Russian than in Ukrainian.There is speculation that Putin’s isolation during the pandemic may have contributed to these delusions, but being in power for 20 years can foster a kind of hubris and a sense of being all powerful. He has eliminated domestic resistance in Russia, with no one to challenge him on the horizon. He is clearly surrounded by yes-men and living in an echo chamber, as autocratic rulers like to do.
Source link
