In his declaration of the military operation he claims his goal is the “demilitarization and De-Nazification” of Ukraine.
He then told the Ukrainian people “Your fathers and grandfathers did not fight so you could ally with Neo-Nazi’s”
Normally when I hear people called Nazi’s I sort of dismiss it these days because it’s become a throw-out word, but Putin doesn’t have the habit of calling anyone and everyone a Nazi.
What’s he talking about? What does he know?
There is a huge misconception and, well, a huge lie. Doesn't matter if our idiots in Congress know any of this, or simply refuse to and look the other way. Most of what's called Ukraine today is really Russian Empire lands, Malorossia (Small Russia) and Novorossia (New Russia). Most of the Russians is really 3 ethnic groups, Velikorosy, Malorosy and Belorusy. There is a small minority called Ruthians (Russiny) as well. So, no such thing as a "ukrainian". If you read correspondence between Peter the Great and Mazepa (the MF who sold out to Swedes), Mazepa ALWAYS referred to the lands of what is today called Ukraine as "okrainy". OUTSKIRTS in Russian, being, well, outskirts of Russian Empire. First time word "ukraine" was uttered was in 1914, as a REGION, and nothing else. And then Lenin created Republic of Ukraine by combining Malorosia and Novorosia along with Kiev region, as his royal highness decided to be generous.
Ukraine, as a country, NEVER existed. Only as part of Soviet Union. Don't let any idiot tell you otherwise and when someone is moron enough to ask or argue simply ask them to show you any currency of "Ukraine" prior to 1991. A country is defined by currency and borders. It was Russian army defeating Swedes at Poltava, and it was Russian army taking the Crimea from the Turks. The western lands were sometimes under Polish rule, but that is about tit, and no such thing as "Ukraine" EVER EXISTED.
So. Ukrainian is really olden Russian mixed in with some Polish and Hungarian, a "scouse" language of population barely able to read and write back then. We hated being forced to take ukrainian language in school since no one spoke it in real life and daily dealings. Not in L'vov, not in Kiev, and definitely not in Odessa. Never even mind Donetsk, Khar'kov and Lungansk, where military action is taking pace these days. Russian is still de facto language spoken in Duma when journalists are not watching. Because they are mostly all ethnic Russians since there is no such thing as "ukrainian" ethnos. There is a small group of what's known as Zapadentsy (Westerners), those in the region that was taken from Poland in 1939 divide, the region where I was born. Most of them are of German and Polish origin and have nothing to do with Russians. They are the ones who staged color revolutions in recent times, last one the junta take over in 2014. They are mostly Baptists and hate Russian Orthodoxy with gusto. Making what's going on since 2014 a religious AND ethnic cleansing. Germans are not slavs.
Putin is more than correct about nazis running the show in Kiev. Google Stepan Bandera, and SS Galichina and SS Nachtigal, 2 SS divisions comprised of "ukrainian" volunteers who exterminated with such gusto that even Germans asked them to tone it down. The surviving members still celebrate and have annual parades in L'vov these days, in full regalia, uniforms and all. L'vov was known as Lemberg since its founding and for centuries since. Think about that. Lemberg. Germans rolled in and made the city their command center, never touching a stone, they left it in one piece upon leaving.
Volunteers from region of L'vov were the most active and ruthless when they attacked Donetsk and Lugansk, these are the people Putin wants, and should make, to face military tribunals for the atrocities they committed. Since 1941 to this day.
Funny enough, these brave "warriors" were the first ones to leave city of Khar'kov a week ago and move back to the western "safety" of L'vov. Highway linking Kiev and L'vov has been reported as bumper to bumper for the past week, every crook is trying to escape now.
I fully expect the Southern region, what was known back in Tsar's days as Novorosia, to also split and join Russia, sooner rather than later. They have noting in common with the nazis, language included.
Best thing to do is to take back what were historically Russian lands, Kiev included, and give westernmost region of L'vov, which was taken in 1939, back to Poland. There is also a dispute and requests from Hungary and Romania, but I'd let them all decided how to split that land, Russia has no claim on that.