October 13, 2026

Ukrainian Nationalism

I do not think it is appropriate to speak of Nazism in Ukraine, but rather of strong nationalism, as there is in Russia as well. This is something we in Western Europe do not understand because we have by now moved beyond it.

Even before the confrontation with Russia, during the Maidan events, Ukrainians regarded Russians as the bad guys, as nothing but evil (the Poles came next).

They are all convinced that the millions who starved to death during Stalin’s rule did so because of the Russians’ wickedness, rather than the failure of Stalin’s agrarian reforms. Historically, this is not true, but it has become a kind of state doctrine. (Holodomor means “killed by hunger,” not “died of hunger.”)