Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Saturday his determination to "do everything" to "definitively eradicate Nazism." This statement was made during ceremonies marking 80 years since the end of the Nazi siege of Leningrad in World War II.
Putin's message, which was indirectly addressed to Ukraine, was reported by AFP, according to Ziare.com.
Since the invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, Putin has maintained this stance. When he sent his troops into Ukrainian territory on February 24, 2022, the Kremlin leader announced his intention to "demilitarize" and "denazify" what he perceives as a former Soviet republic led by neo-Nazis.
"The regime in Kiev continues to glorify Adolf Hitler's accomplices (...) and resorts to terror against all those who displease it," Putin remarked on Saturday.
"CRUELTY" AND "CYNICISM"
Vladimir Putin, 71 years old and a native of Saint Petersburg, was not born during the Nazi siege of Leningrad. However, his older brother was killed during the siege.
His mother almost died of starvation, and his father was wounded near Leningrad.
The Siege of Leningrad lasted 872 days, from 1941 to 1944. The blockade resulted in the death of over 800,000 people. "The Siege of Leningrad was unprecedented in the extent of its cruelty and cynicism," Putin denounced on Saturday, accompanied by his Belarusian counterpart, Aleksandr Lukashenko. They inaugurated a memorial featuring a massive statue of a Motherland with her Children.
The Great Patriotic War, as Putin's regime refers to the war between Nazi Germany and the USSR, remains one of the pillars of the Kremlin's propaganda.
Watch Putin attend the 80th Anniversary below.
