Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has characterized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “peculiar kind of Jew,” in the context of accusations leveled by Moscow against Kyiv. The Kremlin continues to assert, without providing concrete evidence, that Ukraine was somehow involved in the recent deadly attack on a Moscow concert hall, despite Zelensky’s strong denunciation of the claim as “absurd.”
Peskov’s remarks came in response to inquiries about how Zelensky, who is of Jewish heritage, could be associated with an attack claimed by Islamic jihadists. “Well, there is a peculiar kind of Jew over there,” Peskov said, adding, “A Jew who in many ways shows sympathy and inclination to the nationalist spirit that has permeated the leadership of the Kyiv regime.” Peskov declined to elaborate, citing the ongoing investigation into the concert hall attack, which resulted in the tragic loss of at least 139 lives.
This is not the first instance of the Russian leadership attempting to connect Zelensky’s identity to a broader political narrative. Moscow has long endeavored to depict the pro-Western Ukrainian government as neo-Nazi, using this as a justification for its military offensive in Ukraine. In a previous inflammatory remark, Russian President Vladimir Putin labeled Zelensky a “disgrace to the Jewish people,” prompting Zelensky to retaliate by branding Putin “the second king of antisemitism,” after Adolf Hitler, in a BBC interview.
The pattern of Kremlin rhetoric has not gone unnoticed. Accusations of antisemitism against the Russian elite have surfaced, especially after Putin’s accusation that Western powers installed Zelensky to obscure what he called the “anti-human essence” of Ukraine’s state and its “glorification of Nazism.” Ukrainian officials have condemned Putin’s words as deeply rooted in antisemitism and indicative of a “chronic fixation” on Zelensky’s ethnic background. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has also accused Putin of using “antisemitic lies” and “distorting the Holocaust to justify his brutal invasion of Ukraine.”
The statements by Russian leaders, such as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s unfounded assertion that Hitler had Jewish roots, have sparked international outrage and have been firmly rebutted by the global community, including Israel, which summoned the Russian ambassador for explanations.
This barrage of rhetoric comes amid a broader context of anxiety within the Jewish community in Russia. Fears of a resurgence of state-sponsored antisemitism prompted Moscow’s chief rabbi, Pinchas Goldschmidt, to flee to Israel, a move which led to his being designated a foreign agent by Russian authorities. Goldschmidt has expressed his concerns about the future for Jews in Russia in the face of the country’s political transformation since the beginning of the conflict.
The exploitation of Zelensky’s Jewish identity in the Kremlin’s narrative raises significant questions about the complex interplay of ethnicity, religion, and politics in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Despite Moscow’s accusations and the incendiary language, Ukraine’s diverse leadership – including a Jewish prime minister from 2016 to 2019 and a new defense minister of Muslim Crimean Tatar heritage – stands in stark contrast to the narrative of a neo-Nazi state.
Relevant articles:
– Kremlin calls Zelensky ‘peculiar kind of Jew’ as Russia blames Ukraine for IS attack
– Antisemitism charges swirl after Putin denigrates Zelensky’s Jewish roots, The Washington Post, Mon, 25 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT
– Ukraine’s Jewish leader covering up neo-Nazi genocide, Vladimir Putin claims, The Jerusalem Post, Wed, 06 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT
– Putin Claims ‘Ethnic Jew’ Zelenskyy Installed in Ukraine to ‘Glorify Nazism’, Haaretz, Wed, 06 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT