The Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine has observed some analogies in the approaches of the aggressors at the beginning of World War II and the first days of the russian-Ukrainian war.
The propaganda rationale for the russian invasion of Ukraine and its organizational preparation have certain common features with the actions of the German Nazis.
The Munich Agreement between Great Britain and the Third Reich, actually brought World War II closer, and the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact on non-aggression between the USSR and Nazi Germany in 1939 led to a terrible war.
There is also a certain historical analogy between the russian annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the annexation of the Sudetenland region of the Czechoslovak Republic by the German Nazis in 1938. Which once again proves that the practice of international appeasing of the aggressor does not lead to peace. As well as the statements of our international partners about the lack of alternative of the infamous “Minsk Agreements”, which proved the inability to diplomatically stop the insolence of the aggressor, who did not receive timely resistance.
At the beginning of 1941, Germany for some time spread disinformation about the possible start of war against the USSR. But given the previous security guarantees, numerous intelligence reports about the inevitability of war were ignored by the Kremlin leadership – until the sudden invasion of the Nazis.
Back in fall of 2021, the main propaganda narratives for the population of the russian federation were related to the dehumanization of Ukrainians, the creation of mythical terrorist threats on russian territory from “Ukrainian nationalists”, the discrediting of representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, and the actualization of “coercion to peace” on the part of russia.
In the international information space, russian intelligence, propagandists and diplomats, through various agents of influence, practiced information leaks regarding the possibilities of the russian invasion of Ukraine and various options for the dates of its beginning. Thus, they tried to disorient our defence measured to reduce Ukraine’s combat capability.
So, the first missile strikes on the territory of Ukraine on February 24, happened insidiously and almost unexpectedly. It is symptomatic that both the fascists and the rashists chose the same morning time to start their unsuccessful blitzkriegs.
On the eve of its invasion on June 22, 1941,the troops of the Third Reich practiced military build-ups and trainings on the borders with the USSR. Similarly, demonstrative military training in the immediate vicinity of Ukrainian borders and on the territory of Belarus allowed russia to accumulate significant forces.
The German Nazis promoted the concept of “cleansing the living space” for true Aryans from “inferior people”, and on the territory of the USSR – the idea of liberating peoples from the Bolshevik totalitarian regime, and at the same time to cultivate aggression towards Russians and Jews among the citizens of the Ukrainian SSR.
The main narrative, characteristic of all wars launched by russia: “we do not attack, we liberate”. A massive informational and psychological campaign among russians regarding the goals of the so-called special operation on denazification and demilitarization is aimed at dividing Ukrainians in the eyes of russians into “Ukrainian-Banderivites” and “normal” ones, who are hostages of the “Nazi minority that seized power”.
In the first days of russian-Ukrainian war, attempts were made to persuade the military leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to switch to the side of russia. In addition, there were claims about the inexpediency of resisting russia military forces due to a significant numerical and armed advantage (Kiva, Tsarev, etc).
As we know, the German Nazis also practiced military groups of recruited traitors from among Soviet officers and soldiers (“liberation army of General Vlasov”).
Russian initiatives to form quasi-states like ORDLO “republic” in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions are similar to the actions of the German Nazis, who created the “Reichskommissariat of Ukraine” and the “Galychyna District” on the occupied Ukrainian territories. These measures are aimed at disorienting the population and discrediting the military and political leadership of Ukraine in order to maintain political control over the occupied territories.
Therefore, the analogies in the actions of the aggressors are absolutely transparent and obvious.
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