Euromaidan Press
News and Opinion from Ukraine and Europe on Military and Political Developments.
St. Petersburg police instructed to “strangle Russophobia” with Nazi poster ripoff
“Strangle Russophobia mercilessly or it will strangle you!” instructs a poster in a St. Petersburg police station featuring a mirror image of a Nazi propaganda poster from 1931.
A poster about “anti-Russian research structures” featuring a version of a Nazi propaganda picture was hung in St. Petersburg’s police station #70, RFE/RL’s Russian desk reports. A photo of the document was published by the Russian media outlet Fontanka.
The poster was prepared by the Personnel Department of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. It is dedicated to foreign research organizations. It says that foreign think tanks train people who “at the right time will be able to become the instigators of massive anti-government protests,” conduct anti-Russian activities, and “in fact are analogous” to special services.
The poster features a drawing of a man’s hand crushing a snake labeled “Russophobia” with the caption “Strangle Russophobia mercilessly or it will strangle you!”. This is a mirrored version of the 1931 Nazi drawing “Death of Lies” (Tod der Lüge), which, according to the Baden-Württemberg Archives website, was used on a billboard for an event of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP).
In the Nazi original, the man’s shirt bears a red band with a swastika, and on the snake has the inscriptions “Marxism” and “Big Capital,” the latter being an antisemitic conspiracy theory the Nazis used to come to power.
“We shall uproot spies and saboteurs. The Troskyist-Bukharin agents of fascism.” Soviet Communist poster of 1937
However, the imagery of a man’s hand crushing a snake was used by the USSR, as well. It is seen in a poster from 1937, at the height of Stalin’s repressions, instructing to uproot “spies and saboteurs… Troskyist-Bukharin agents of fascism.”
Therefore, the police poster’s visual was conjured 90 years ago. But the concept of Russophobia goes further back into history. According to the Polish experts Jolanta Darczewska, Piotr Żochowski of Warsaw’s Centre for Eastern Studies, “ Russophobia” is a Russian imperial construct of the 19th century, created to deflect western criticism of the tsars’ expansionism.
The authors note that its reinstatement as a core meme of Russian propaganda “represents the declaration of another stage of Russia’s communications war with the Kremlin’s opponents, both foreign and domestic.”
According to the experts, the concept of “Russopobia” is strategic meme akin to a “weapon of mass destruction,” as it allows silencing internal opposition to the Kremlin’s policies, legitimizing the regime, neutralizing foreign critics, and offering a simplistic explanation for the Russia’s tensions with the West simultaneously.
Kremlin’s campaign against “Russophobia” threatens both Russia and the West, Polish experts say
Among purported Russophobic organizations, the poster in the St. Petersburg police station names the following organizations:
“As of 2020, organizations who most actively conduct activities against the Russian Federation can be divided into:
1) Those promoting Russophobia: the Kennan Institute, Chatham House; 2) Those conducting destructive activities: The Soros Fund; -The National Endowment for Democracy; -The Yegor Gaidar Fund; -USAID; -The MacArthur Foundation. 3) Human Rights organizations: -Human Rights Watch; -Amnesty International; -Memorial.”
The latter on this list refers to the Memorial Society, one of Russia’s most reputable human rights organizations documenting the plight of modern-day political prisoners as well as exposing Communist repressions, was declared a “foreign agent” in 2013 and fined millions of rubles. Its activists in various regions of Russia have been prosecuted.
Read also:
- Kremlin’s campaign against “Russophobia” threatens both Russia and the West, Polish experts say
- “Russophobia” as a Russian propaganda tool
- Russophobia doesn’t exist but fear and hatred of Putin’s regime do
- Disinformation mash-up: MH17, coronavirus, Russophobia, Ukraine
You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!
Ukrainian President grateful for US support, emphasizes need for swift action.
President Zelenskyy thanks Biden and the US for adopting aid, saying, "everything should be done now to 'compensate for the six months that have passed in the debate'," after the six-plus-month aid delay facilitated some Russian advancements on th...
US secretly supplies Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles – media.
Having long-range ATACMS allows Ukraine to threaten Russian assets throughout Crimea and the Black Sea Fleet.
Pentagon officially announces rumored $1 bn military aid for Ukraine.
The Pentagon declared a $1 billion military aid package for Ukraine, including air defense, artillery, and armored vehicles. Some items are expected to be delivered within days.
Ukraine plans to adopt NATO medical standards for combat trauma treatment.
Ukraine is forging closer ties with NATO as it adopts the alliance's medical standards for combat trauma assistance and accelerates efforts to develop new clinical protocols based on the Joint Trauma System.
AP: Biden signs $95 billion war aid measure with aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan.
The announcement marks an end to the standoff over military aid for Ukraine in the US Congress.
Why is David Pecker's testimony important in Trump's trial?.
David Pecker, the former CEO of American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, testified Monday in Donald Trump's criminal "hush money" trial. CBS News legal contributor Rebecca Roiphe breaks down the significance of Pecker's te...
Exhumation operations continue at apparent mass grave in Khan Younis - DW News.
Gaza's Hamas-controlled civil defense agency says health workers have uncovered the bodies of 283 people buried in a hospital courtyard in the southern city of Khan Younis. They found the apparent mass grave at the Nasser Hospital. The site was pr...
Russian media: Kremlin will deploy ballistic missiles close to Finnish border.
Russian media say the country plans to deploy ballistic missiles close to its border with Finland. Analysts say it’s the latest in a series of military and hybrid threats that Russia has made against Finland since it joined NATO last year. Henry R...
'Insanely' brave moment snake catcher removes deadly black mamba from home.
A video of a snake catcher removing a black mamba from a house in South Africa has gone viral on TikTok, garnering over 5 million views. Hoedspruit Reptile Centre’s footage features senior curator Jessica Joubert stoically relocating the snake fro...
Barry Manilow’s historic performance: Extended interview.
Barry Manilow has broken the record for most shows of any artist at the iconic Radio City Music Hall. NBC News’ Chloe Melas goes backstage with Manilow as he and his band tune up before their big show. » Subscribe to NBC News: NBC News Digital is ...
John Dean on what Trump would likely have to address if he takes the stand.
Ex-Nixon White House counsel John Dean explains why he's doubtful Donald Trump will testify in the ongoing hush money criminal trial and which topics he thinks could surface if the former president does take the stand. #CNN #News