Crisis in Ukraine

‘Vladimir Putin advances his pawns in Ukraine’

Published on 2 September 2014 at 09:26

Cover

Russian President Vladimir Putin ramped up his references to World War Two on 1 September to “justify his strategy against Kiev”, writes La Croix.
For the French daily, the “Kremlin’s propaganda” is being spread by Russian public television, which “endlessly shows armed men celebrating their most recent victories in the separatist regions of south-east Ukraine.” Although the images lack information on “who the men are and where they come from” —

their messages regularly end with the same reference to the Second World War. “To Kiev”, writes one of the unidentified soldiers on his tank, alluding to the legendary slogan “To Berlin” common among victorious Soviet armoured units as they advanced on Germany in 1945.
In an editorial, the paper observes that Russia’s support for the rebels are proof “Russia will not settle for the annexation of the Crimea as ‘compensation’ for its loss of authority in Ukraine.”

Receive the best of European journalism straight to your inbox every Thursday

Was this article useful? If so we are delighted!

It is freely available because we believe that the right to free and independent information is essential for democracy. But this right is not guaranteed forever, and independence comes at a cost. We need your support in order to continue publishing independent, multilingual news for all Europeans.

Discover our subscription offers and their exclusive benefits and become a member of our community now!

Are you a news organisation, a business, an association or a foundation? Check out our bespoke editorial and translation services.

Support independent European journalism

European democracy needs independent media. Join our community!

On the same topic