Invoking the image of nazis is also a dog whistle directed at primarily older Russians. During WWII some Ukrainian forces initially joined the invading Nazi for

Invoking the image of nazis is also a dog whistle directed at primarily older Russians. During WWII some Ukrainian forces initially joined the invading Nazi forces against the Soviet Union, which given how the Soviets treated Ukraine maybe made sense at the time. Ever since then the memory of this “betrayal” has been kept alive in Russian culture. There’s no greater enemy than nazis, so the image of a Nazi Ukrainian oppressing Russians is a powerful one. Utter and complete bullshit propaganda of course, but it’s not an accident that Putin uses this particular image. The fact that Zelenskiy is a Russian speaking Jew is, I guess, either not widely known in Russia or not considered sufficient proof of his innocence…