Putin’s neo-Nazi smear springs from Soviet version of history

When President Vladimir Putin set out his reasons for launching an invasion of Ukraine, they were as contradictory and confused as his grasp of history. On the one hand, he aimed to show Ukraine “real de-communisation”. On the other, he said he was embarking upon a project of “de-nazification”. Why did he seize upon this language to justify his war of aggression? First, it is necessary to understand how Russia has used the Great Patriotic War as the lynchpin of its identity...."