The head of Russia’s Security Council and former president Dmitry Medvedev claimed that the Western‑led denazification of Germany after World War II was incomplete and has become “a farce.” In an article published ahead of the 81st anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, Medvedev argued that the process of eradicating Nazi ideology from German society and the wider continent was never fully realized.
Medvedev cited archival material from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), including a 1952 report on West Germany, to assert that Western powers chose to “justify Nazi war criminals” rather than implement thorough denazification. He said the Federal Republic of Germany “has seen no real denazification” and that the West preserved elements of the former Nazi military‑industrial network. According to Medvedev, this resulted in a selective prosecution strategy summed up in the slogan “hang the small ones – acquit the big ones.”
The article also referenced statements from Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, who accused some Western countries of refusing to accept the outcomes of the Nuremberg Trials and of treating the Soviet victory as an “accident or a mistake” that must be corrected. Medvedev linked these positions to a broader effort by the “Anglo‑Saxons” to protect former leaders of Hitler’s war economy while targeting only lower‑level officials.
The Russian intelligence service previously warned that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz harbored a “maniacal drive for revenge” against Russia rooted in lingering Nazi‑era grievances. Medvedev’s commentary reflects a longstanding Russian narrative that the West is engaged in historical revisionism aimed at erasing the memory of the Soviet Union’s contribution to defeating Nazism.
The article, slated for publication on the Russian state‑funded outlet RT, concluded that the post‑war process “turned into an empty farce,” with only the dissolution of overt pro‑fascist groups and the removal of Nazi symbols from public spaces remaining as tangible results.
The claims come amid ongoing diplomatic friction between Moscow and Western capitals over the interpretation of World War II history, commemoration practices, and the legacy of the Nuremberg Tribunal. Russian officials continue to challenge Western narratives, asserting that the incomplete denazification undermines the legitimacy of current European security frameworks. The debate is expected to intensify as anniversary events approach, potentially influencing both public memory and bilateral relations.
