Germans were confronted with images of their country’s dark past on Monday night, when German public broadcaster ZDF showed video of Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi symbols on their helmets in its evening newscast. In a report on the fragile cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, Moscow correspondent Bernhard Lichte used pictures of a soldier wearing a combat helmet with the “SS runes” of Hitler’s infamous black-uniformed elite corps. A second soldier was seen with a swastika on his gear. “Volunteer battalions from nearly every political spectrum are reinforcing the government side,” the ZDF correspondent said in his report.
Can you imagine being a German citizen right now? The Nordstream pipeline just blew up. You're suffering from cold in the blackouts. Energy prices are through the roof. Your leaders are mocking your need for basic necessities like light and heat. America is ostensibly your ally in the war in Ukraine, but America is doing nothing to alleviate your suffering.
AND THEN YOU ARE FACED WITH THESE IMAGES.
The second helmet is more indicative of a modified AZOV Battalion symbol. They were the heroes of Mariupol, who lived underground like rats at the steel plant for many days. I followed them and noted much fortitude for the fight and perseverance.
ReplyDeleteRussia is pushing forward the narrative that the entrance into Ukraine is about the "de-Nazification" of the Ukraine - when in fact, the numbers remain relatively small within that class.
But yeah - not the best time to be German nor a European.
Yeah, Putin is not trying to eliminate Nazis. He is taking land.
ReplyDelete