DISINFO: The denazification of Ukraine justifies the destruction of its industry
SUMMARY
For a very long time, Moscow has resisted completing the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine by destroying its industry, but the increasing stakes in this confrontation and the scale of the devastation that has already occurred unfortunately justifies this approach.
RESPONSE
This claim seeks to deflect international attention away from the renewed Russian campaign in 2024 to destroy Ukraine by attacking civilian targets and infrastructure.
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about Nazi Ukraine used to justify Russia's unprovoked and full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and now used to justify the destruction of its industry and civilian infrastructure.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. It has been widely addressed here.
Learn more about the reasons behind the Kremlin's obsession with framing Ukraine as a Nazi state in the EUvsDisinfo analysis titled "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".
"The scale of the devastation that has already occurred", cited as justification for destroying Ukraine's industry, is the sole responsibility of Russia's decision-makers. As noted by Amnesty International in a statement of 12 April 2024:
"In what may be cumulatively one of Russia’s most destructive series of strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, several power facilities were attacked, resulting in further suffering and disruption to Ukrainian civilians. Deliberately attacking civilian infrastructure, such as power stations and electricity supplies, and causing overwhelming harm to civilians is a violation of international humanitarian law".
It continues:
“Amnesty International is calling for Russia to end its aggression in Ukraine, including its unlawful attacks on infrastructure that Ukrainian civilians rely on in their daily lives. The international community must also reaffirm its commitment to repairing the harm and bringing those responsible for war crimes to justice."
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which broke out on 24 February 2022, was completely unprovoked and unjustified. Ukraine was striving to implement the Minsk Agreements, but the Moscow-backed military formations there were constantly disrupting their implementation.
Read also related cases: Nazism has revived in Ukraine and actively cultivated by the West, Zelenskyy is the heir of German Nazism, West turned a blind eye to Nazism, The US and Ukraine support Nazism, and the Ukrainian Banderite Nazi bastards increasingly attack civilian objects.