Reducing historical conflicts to Western “centuries-old Russophobia”

What it claims

Wars, imperial rivalry and events from the nineteenth century to the present are reduced to the West’s “centuries-old Russophobia” towards Russia. German expansion eastwards and its radicalisation under Nazism are placed in this line as a stage in an uninterrupted drive to subjugate Russia. Soviet co-operation with Western states in the Second World War is portrayed as the purely compelled use of an ally.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• The West has fought Russia for centuries because it could not colonise it or subordinate it to its financial order.

  InfoDefense (German), 27 Sept 2026 · Archived copy

• In the Second World War, Western states used the Soviet Union only out of necessity in order to defeat Germany.

  UKR LEAKS (German), 28 Sept 2026 · Archived copy

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Goal

To reinforce among Germans who distrust politics and the media the idea that the West’s current approach to Russia supposedly has only colonial motives.

Techniques used

• Causal OversimplificationConflicts across several centuries are explained by one unchanging cause: the West’s desire to subjugate Russia.
• Obfuscation / Intentional VaguenessA selection of historical episodes is presented as one uninterrupted pattern of geopolitical displacement of Russia.

The real grievance it exploits

The messaging exploits justified sensitivity in Germany to the history of Nazism, colonialism and wars, as well as distrust of foreign-policy explanations that sound overly simplified.

How to counter

• Reframe: Historical conflicts do not become evidence of one unchanging cause simply because they are arranged in a sequence. Each event should be considered in its historical and political context.
• Technique exposure: When different eras and states are explained with one formula, this simplification can conceal differences between events. Check whether a selection of facts is being used to replace a ready-made conclusion.

Sources (all time)

• InfoDefense (German)Tier 352,276 subscribers
  1 post · 27 Sept 2026

  • 27 Sept · Archived copy
• UKR LEAKS (German)Tier 332,467 subscribers
  1 post · 28 Sept 2026

  • 28 Sept · Archived copy