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A local official from Moscow has called for the denazification of Poland, the Baltic States, the Republic of Moldova and Kazakhstan, by applying the same method used in the case of Ukraine, namely a Russian military intervention. Sergei Savostyanov’s initiative, which is unclear who exactly it addresses, was disseminated by a number of media outlets in Russia, as well as in the countries in question. The Russian state media, agencies such as TASS or RIA Novosti, have ignored the initiative.
NEWS: “The Baltic states, but also Poland, Moldova and Kazakhstan need to be “demilitarized” and “denazified” by Russia, the Moscow Duma [not to be confused with the Russian State Duma. The Moscow Duma is the Local Council of the Russian capital, e.n.] deputy with the Communist Party and author of the document, Sergei Savostyanov, argues.
“The demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine will ensure the stable security of the peoples of Ukraine, Russia and the entire Europe. To ensure the full security of the Russian Federation, apart from Ukraine, the logical thing to do would be to include demilitarized zones in the Baltic States, Poland, Moldova and Kazakhstan”, he said.
NARRATIVE: Neighboring countries represent a threat to the Russian Federation, which must take military action to ensure its security.
BACKGROUND: On February 24, Vladimir Putin gave the order to invade Ukraine as part of a so-called “special military operation”, aimed at “demilitarizing” and “denazifying” this country. Both pretexts have nothing to do with reality – Ukraine is led by a Jewish president, does not have a Nazi regime (far-right groups didn’t even obtain the necessary number of votes to secure a single seat in the Ukrainian Parliament), whereas at military level Ukraine is vastly inferior to Russia in terms of troops and equipment. Besides, Russia is a nuclear power, and it was Russia that attacked Ukraine ever since 2014.
Nevertheless, the Kremlin claims the territory of the former Soviet republic as part of its exclusive sphere of influence and as part of the former Socialist gulag, promoting this idea both at political level, as well as in cinematography and entertainment, one example being the song performed by the Russian singer Oleg Gazmanov at a patriotic concert recently held in Moscow, which praises the USSR and considers ex-Soviet states, including the Republic of Moldova and the Baltic States, part of the Russian motherland. Besides, NATO demanded that NATO should sever ties with ex-communist countries, although it was these countries that asked to join the Alliance, particularly because they fear Russia, a country that in the past attacked them and occupied their territories.
PURPOSE: To reinforce in the collective mindset the idea of a strong Russian state, capable of “molding” its neighbors according to its own necessity. To describe the “special military operation” in Ukraine as successful, to be continued in other states. To prove the support of Russian society for the war in Ukraine.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: None of the states mentioned by the Moscow official poses a threat to Russia or indents to attack this country. The Baltic States and Poland are members of NATO, a defensive military alliance.
The Republic of Moldova is a small, neutral state, with a derisory military budget, while Kazakhstan has proved it is loyal to Moscow when it called for the intervention of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which Russia controls.
As regards “denazification”, it’s worth noting that the far-right doesn’t represent a powerful political force in none of the aforementioned states, and there has never been a “Nazi” government in any of them after World War II. The European far-right was in fact groomed by the Kremlin, which fostered ties with the German AfD, Marine Le Pen’s National Front in France of Matteo Salvini’s Lega Nord in Italy.
OFFICIAL REACTIONS: Kyiv authorities have labeled this declaration proof that the Russian Federation does not intend to stop in Ukraine. “This is just the beginning. The Russians swear there will be more bloodshed in Europe”, Mykhailo Podoliak, adviser to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, was quoted by Korrespondent.net.
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