“Hitler also had Jewish blood”: Russia’s controversial argument for calling Zelensky a Nazi

The Israeli Foreign Minister, Yair Lapidhas condemned on Monday the “serious statements” of his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrovwho stated that like the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr ZelenskyAdolf Hilter “also had Jewish origins”.

Following this controversial statement, the top head of Israeli diplomacy has summoned the Russian ambassador to Israel “for a clarification meeting”, reported the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement. “Foreign Minister Lavrov’s comments are an inexcusable and outrageous statement, as well as a terrible historical mistake,” Lapid said.

As he added, “Jews did not commit suicide in the Holocaust. The lowest level of anti-Jewish racism is accusing Jews themselves of anti-Semitism.”

In an interview yesterday with the Italian channel Rete4, the first in a European medium since the Russian invasion began on February 24, Lavrov insisted on the infiltration of supposedly neo-Nazi sectors in Ukrainian institutions. When warned about Zelensky’s Jewish roots, Lavrov replied that Hitler “also had Jewish origins”.

According to the Russian Foreign Minister, Moscow is not looking for a regime change in Ukraine, and assured that the war unleashed with its invasion wants “ensure the safety of the population of the east”which he considered “threatened by the militarization and nazification“.

Since the outbreak of the conflict, although it has condemned the invasion, Israel has maintained a rather moderate position towards Russia due to its strategic alliance in the Middle East, where the Jewish state coordinates with Moscow to attack pro-Iranian positions in Syria.

In turn, it has not applied sanctions to Russia nor has it delivered weapons to Ukraine, despite the fact that it did send humanitarian aid, welcomed Ukrainian refugees and also the Ukrainian population of Jewish origin with the right to Israeli citizenship.