Commentary: Russian propaganda claims both "Jews" and "Nazis" now rule Ukraine

Every kind of propaganda involves various absurdities, and the current propaganda in favor of Russia, as well as the propaganda coming straight from Russia, is no exception. The greatest paradoxes come from the generalizations this propaganda involves.

According to the current Russian media offensive, those who protested in Kiev were Nazis, Ukrainian fighters and soldiers are Nazis, and Nazis are now governing Ukraine. However, according to a statement made Monday by pro-Russian separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko, Ukraine is "governed by miserable Jews, which means Shevchenko and Taras Bulba must be turning over in their graves".  

Zakharchenko is now, after the recent "elections" in Donbas, the "president" of that region, which reportedly wants to join Russia and is striving to unite with Crimea through further fighting. Russia has already annexed Crimea and declared it part of Russian territory.  

Any propaganda, be it American, German, Russian, Ukrainian or any other kind, always has one finger on the truth, like all proper disinformation. So it is that in this case, there are actually people fighting on the Ukrainian side whom we could characterize as following an updated Nazi ideology and using Nazi symbols, such as the swastika or the symbol of the SS.

These people belong to the group known as the Right Sector, and we can also find them in the Azov Battalion. Right Sector also holds one seat in the 450-seat single-chamber Parliament of Ukraine.  

There are about 12-16 other ultra-right extremists seated in that Parliament now too (depending on whom you ask). There are no extremists in the Government, however.

The statement that "Nazis" now govern Ukraine is, therefore, a very bold one. Not to mention the fact that both the pro-Russian separatists and Russia itself are also supported by people from the ultra-right who fight in their ranks.

Putin’s supporters have now encountered an unexpected complication to this line of propaganda – after all, Zakharchenko wants to add the biggest possible slice of the Ukrainian pie to Russia and takes Putin as a role model. Like every other correct patriot, he has also been shouting to the world that the Jews are conspiring against Ukraine.

Who else might be to blame, right? The Jews are a tried-and-true enemy, as Hitler could tell us.

The poor Cossacks (Russian and Ukrainian) used to engage in pogroms against them, but now, according to this propaganda, they must suffer under the Jewish yoke – how they must regret this! Now, how many Jewish people are actually in the Ukrainian Government or Parliament, I have no idea.

I also don’t know how many Jewish people there are among Russia’s oligarchs, who doubtless wield their share of power there as well. Does anyone normal take an interest in such things?

One thing should be clear, though:  Putin’s people will have to get the story straight with Zakharchenko. The Jews and the Nazis would never govern together, not even in Ukraine.