What He Said and What it Really Means – Vol. 9: Putin rewriting history of WWII
As expected, the Kremlin pulled out all the stops on 9 May to use the commemoration of the end of the Second World War eighty years ago to rewrite history and justify Russia’s present day aggression. In fact, the Kremlin’s disinformation playbook was put into action weeks and months in advance.
On the actual day, one of the undeniable centrepieces of Moscow’s propagandistic spectacle on the Red Square was Putin’s address. The occasion may have been one of a kind, but the speech was anything but. Full of disinformation, historical revisionism and false equivalencies, this was yet another telling example of ‘Kremlin Newspeak’. So, let’s have a look at what Putin said, and what it really means:
| What he said: | What he means: |
| We faithfully preserve the memory of these historic, triumphant events. | We shamelessly distort history to deny our part in starting WWII |
| We remember the lessons of the Second World War | We will continue to use the memory of WWII to justify Russia’s present day aggression |
| The representatives of different nationalities, who will forever remain Russian soldiers in world history. | We will continue to erase other national identities so Russia can monopolise the victory over Nazism |
| Russia has been and will be an indestructible barrier to Nazism, Russophobia, anti-Semitism | I am lumping together Nazism with imaginary ‘Russophobia’ so we can call anyone opposing Russian aggression a Nazi |
| Truth and justice are on our side. |
We will continue to lie and twist history with impunity
|
| The whole country, society, people support the participants of the special military operation. | If I say you support it, then you support it. My word is the rule |
| Evacuated people found their second home in Central Asia and Transcaucasia | We displaced people in the neighbouring countries we had occupied prior and pursued ‘russification’ under the cover of war |
| We honour every veteran of the Great Patriotic War | We have thrown almost a million people to the meat-grinder of the ‘Special Military Operation’ in their name |
| We will give these traditions, this great heritage [of WWII] the biggest place in our hearts. | Don’t think about how miserable life in Russia is today, numb yourself with nostalgia |
| We highly appreciate the contribution to our common struggle of the soldiers of the Allied armies | I will do everything to downplay the role of the Allies in defeating Nazism |
| Glory to the victorious nation! | Glory to me! |
For more quick guides to understanding Putin, see Vol.1, Vol.2, Vol.3, Vol.4, Vol.5, Vol.6, Vol.7 and Vol.8. Don’t be deceived.
