German diplomats called out their Russian counterparts after Russia’s embassy in South Africa said the nation was “fighting Nazism” in Ukraine.
“Dear subscribers, we have received a great number of letters of solidarity from South Africans, both individuals and organizations,” Russia’s South African embassy tweeted Saturday. “We appreciate your support and glad you decided to stand with us today, when Russia, like 80 years ago, is fighting Nazism in Ukraine!”
Germany’s embassy in South Africa responded to point out that Russia, which is in its second week of invading the sovereign nation of Ukraine, is not fighting Nazism. And Germany, where the Nazi Party was founded, would know.
“Sorry, but we can’t stay silent on this one, it’s just far too cynical,” the German Embassy said in a tweet. “What [Russia] is doing in [Ukraine] is slaughtering innocent children, women and men for its own gain. It’s definitely not ‘fighting Nazism.’ Shame on anyone who’s falling for this. (Sadly, we’re kinda experts on Nazism.)”
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said he wanted to “denazify” Ukraine, a pretext for his invasion. Russian forces later bombed the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv. Five people were killed.
While the U.S. and NATO allies have placed punishing sanctions on Russia, its forces continue to battle against Ukrainian defenders. More than 800 children have been wounded so far.