Status: 05/03/2022 2:31 p.m
After Israel’s sharp criticism of Foreign Minister Lavrov’s comparison with Hitler, Russia is upping the ante again: Israel actively supports the “neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
There was great outrage when Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeated the official Russian justification for the war on Italian television on Sunday evening – once again: Nazis were at work in Ukraine – which Russia must stop. Lavrov rejected the argument that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was himself a Jew. After all, as far as he knew, Hitler was also a Jew – in this respect, Zelenskyj’s parentage was not an argument, the Russian foreign minister said.
In Israel in particular, the Hitler comparison made waves. The Russian ambassador was summoned, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett – so far careful not to alienate Russia because of its role in neighboring Syria – reacted with unusual sharpness: Lavrov had “accused the Jews themselves of having committed the most terrible crimes in history” that were committed against they were committed, Bennett said.
Lavrov, however, does not dispute that. In response to the complaint, he accused Israel of supporting “the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv.” “Unfortunately, history knows tragic examples of cooperation between Jews and Nazis,” said the Russian Foreign Ministry. Selenskyj’s Jewish descent is “no guarantee” against neo-Nazism in Ukraine.
International outrage
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy called Lavrov’s comments “anti-Semitic” and said they show that Russia had “forgotten all the lessons of World War II”. It is “no coincidence” that Russia is waging a “so-called total war” to “destroy all living things”. The federal government was also outraged by Lavrov’s original comparison with Hitler and spoke of “absurd statements” and “infamous lies”.
Criticism of TV stations
The Italian broadcaster Rete 4, which Lavrov set the stage for his allegations during prime time, has also been criticized. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi criticized Lavrov for being able to speak freely without being contradicted. The appearance was announced as an interview. “It was actually a campaign event,” Draghi said. That wasn’t particularly professional and raised “strange questions”.
Rete 4 belongs to the Mediaset group of former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, a longtime friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin.