Russia not chasing deadlines in war with Ukraine; Nazism must be eradicated: Top official

On May 24, one of President Vladimir Putin's top security officials asserted that Russia would achieve its goals in Ukraine without regard for deadlines. Nikolay Patrushev, Secretary of Russia's Security Council, also told the weekly Argumenty I Fakty that Nazism must be totally eliminated or it will resurface.

"We are not chasing any deadlines. Nazism must either be 100% eradicated, or it will raise its head again in a few years’ time, and will take an even uglier form," Patrushev said in an interview, when asked about people's concerns about the operation's protracted nature.

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine in what it calls a "special military operation" to "denazify" and "demilitarise" its neighbour. However, Russian forces have suffered numerous setbacks and significant losses during the three-month campaign. Further, Patrushev also claimed that the West was using Ukraine to contain Russia, echoing claims made by President Vladimir Putin to justify the conflict.

"Denazification means a whole range of measures," Patrushev said, referring to the 1945 Potsdam Conference, at which the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States agreed to root out German militarism and Nazism. Apart from punishing Nazi criminals, the allies repealed Third Reich laws that legalised discrimination against people based on their race, ethnicity, language, religion, and political beliefs, according to Patrushev. He added that Nazi doctrines were also removed from school curricula.

Russia-Ukraine War

As the Russia-Ukraine war entered its 90th day, invading troops intensified their attacks on Ukrainian cities in the east and south. Meanwhile, Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has extended martial law until August 22. Moreover, Andrzej Duda, Poland's President became the first foreign leader to address Ukraine's parliament in person since the conflict began on February 24.

Meanwhile, EU's Ursula von der Leyen said on May 24 at the World Economic Forum that Russia is 'weaponizing' food supplies in the same way it has done with energy. She called on the international community to put an end to Moscow's "blackmail." Her comments came after UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps warned that deaths from global food shortages caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Black Sea port blockade "could be even greater than lives lost directly in war."

(With agency inputs)