Politinformation…is something that every product of the Soviet educational system would remember. Half an hour, once per week, on Wednesday. A teacher would address briefly this or that issue of international politics in front of the class, at a level appropriate for a particular age group. Which issue? All sorts. Olympic games, apartheid in South Africa, a visit of Indira Ghandi, nuclear disarmament, miners’ strike. From grade 4 (age 10) politinformation was something that one of the (more literate and confident) children in class was tasked for. If this role was allocated to you, you would have to look at the newspaper in the evening, choose a suitable piece of information and be ready to present it to the class in the morning. The teacher would then facilitate discussion. I was a booky kid and was tasked with politinformation year after year. My future biographers would be tempted to say, I hope: “his path in life was charted early enough”…..
I am officially announcing the beginning of the Politinformation Project on my website/Facebook/Twitter. Years of life in Israel and Western Christendom convinced me that Russian was the most useless language to know. What is it good for, apart from undiluted appreciation of the works of Tolstoy..?-so I thought… Then war in Ukraine happened and the status of the Russian language in Western society changed. It became a vehicle to understanding of political realities of Eastern Europe that , in theory at least, mattered to the West. If I am honest, the need for such a project was felt before. Way before the war, several interviews with Russian or Russian-speaking politicians and public figures were so badly translated and misrepresented that I almost asked myself: is there a method there, not just lack of skill and stupidity? While this important question remains unanswered, I am going to do something helpful. I will , to the best of my ability, obtain and translate primary materials in Russian language, materials that relate to issues forming a focus of public attention at any given time. I expect much of these materials to touch on Jewish topics, directly or indirectly. My followers and readers are encouraged to submit such materials to me.
And the last thing, before I begin. My use of the term ‘Politinformation’ is arguably not original. Mark Solonin, a Russian speaking military historian, currently based in Kiev, runs a series of talks on YouTube under the heading of Politinformation from Solonin. His focus is on presenting the realities on the ground in Ukraine. Solonin displays a clear anti-Russian, pro-Ukrainian bend. In what I do on my own Politinformation Project, I do not claim a political position. My one and only goal is to present the Russian content relating to controversial issues in such a way that the true meaning of that content becomes clear and unambiguous for those who have genuine interest in it, and, ultimately, seek for form opinions.
And now I begin.
Let Lavrov’s latest comment on Zelensky’s Jewishness be the first specimen on my Politinformation shelf. This is what Sergei Lavrov said according to the BBC:
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‘When asked how Russia can claim that it is fighting to “de-Nazify” Ukraine when President Volodymyr Zelensky is himself Jewish, Mr Lavrov said: “So what if Zelensky is Jewish.”
“The fact does not negate the Nazi elements in Ukraine. I believe that Hitler also had Jewish blood,” adding that “some of the worst anti-Semites are Jews.”
Israel’s foreign minister reacted furiously to Mr Lavrov’s statement, accusing him of anti-Semitism.
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And that is what Lavrov actually said in an interview to an Italian news channels, contain in a video; first the question asked by an interviewer (who is fluent in Russian):
QUESTION: this is your vision and Zelensky reads the situation differently. He says that he is Jewish and the Nazis, from Azov, are not numerous, there are just few of them, several thousands. In that Zelensky dismisses your reading of the situation. Do you think, Zelensky is an obstacle on the way to peace?
LAVROV’S REPLY: I am indifferent towards Zelensky’s positions-what he dismisses or does not dismiss. He says something different every day. His week has ‘seven Fridays’, as we say. He can change his position a few times a day.
Yes, I heard him saying that demilitarization and denazification will not be even discussed at our talks. First of all, they (Ukrainians) are sabotaging the talks, just like they sabotaged the Minsk accords for eight years. Secondly, Nazification is real enough. Combatants of Azov batallion, and Aidar as well, captured by us, display Nazi symbols on their uniform and on their bodies in the form of tattooings, swastikas, symbols of Nazi Units, such as Waffen SS, they read and disseminate Main Kampf. As for Zelensky’s claim ‘How Nazification is possible while I am Jewish..’, I hope I remember well, I may be mistaken… but Hitler may have had Jewish blood. This means absolutely nothing. And we are well aware of Jewish understanding of this: it is Jewish wisdom that the most earnest antisemites can be Jews. And as our saying goes: monsters arise from the best families.
As for the Azov Batallion, both American and Canadians are now publishing materials proving that Americans and especially Canadians took part in training these ultra-radicals and neo-Nazis. The method dictated that these Nazi Units gradually join the regular Army so that Azov people could play a leading role in every military unit. The fact that Azov is a Nazi formation was accepted in the West long ago. They only recently started changing this position. And recently Japan apologized to Azov for inclusion in the list of terrorist organisations. In the past interview with Western press, Zelensky was asked about Azov, and he said in response: we have a lot of units like this, and they are what they are.’ That sentence ‘they are what they are’ was edited out of his interview.
END OF LAVROV’S REPLY