Demonising Ukraine with the label “neo-Nazi regime” through Second World War memory

What it claims

Statements by Russian officials portray the Ukrainian authorities as a “neo-Nazi regime” and cast references to the Soviet contribution in the Second World War as evidence of modern Russia’s moral superiority. Military statements about Kyiv are labelled with the language of “barbarity” and linked to that portrayal. The exhumation and reburial of Ukrainian nationalists’ remains are inflated into evidence of state celebration of Nazism.

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.

• Russia never attacked Germany, and the Soviet Union fought Nazism in the Second World War.

  Russian Embassy in Berlin (X), 27 Aug 2026

  x.com/RusBotschaft/status/2092885908001271933

• The authorities in Kyiv honour Hitler’s collaborators by reburying Ukrainian nationalists.

  Russian Embassy in Berlin (X), 28 Aug 2026

  x.com/RusBotschaft/status/2093325622806221053

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Goal

To strengthen among people in Germany the idea of modern Russia’s moral exceptionalism and entrench an image of Ukraine as a state linked to Nazism, using historical memory of the Second World War.

Techniques used

• Loaded LanguageThe Ukrainian authorities and their military actions are described with the labels “neo-Nazi” and “barbaric”.
• Reductio ad HitlerumThe reburial of Ukrainian nationalists’ remains is linked to honouring Hitler’s collaborators and to Nazism.

The real grievance it exploits

The narrative exploits Germany’s historical guilt and responsibility for Nazi crimes, as well as sensitivity to any references to Nazism in contemporary politics.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Watch for attempts to reduce historical memory to labels for present-day states. Linking the words “Nazism” and “Hitler’s collaborators” to current events can replace scrutiny of specific facts with emotional condemnation.
• Reframe: Memory of the Second World War should be kept separate from contemporary propaganda labels. A state’s or society’s historical contribution is not proof of the moral faultlessness of its current government.

Sources (all time)

• Russian Embassy in Berlin (X)Tier 264,257 followers
  3 posts · 26–28 Aug 2026

  • 28 Aug · x.com/RusBotschaft/status/2093325622806221053
  • 27 Aug · x.com/RusBotschaft/status/2092885908001271933
  • 26 Aug · x.com/RusBotschaft/status/2092598214625046646