Mr Lavrov had argued that the Jewish origin of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky did not matter. “So, if Zelensky is a Jew? The fact does not negate the Nazi elements in Ukraine. “I believe that Hitler also had Jewish blood,” he said, referring to an unverified allegation that Hitler, who was responsible for the deaths of nearly six million Jews, had potential Jewish and African ancestors. “Some of the worst anti-Semites are Jews,” he added in an interview with Italian television on Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, in his criticism of Russia, said Lavrov’s words were untrue. “The use of the Holocaust by the Jewish people as a political tool must stop immediately,” he said. Earlier Monday, Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid apologized to Moscow, calling the comments “unforgivable, scandalous and a terrible historical mistake.” “Jews did not commit suicide in the Holocaust. “The lowest level of racism against Jews is to accuse the Jews themselves of anti-Semitism,” Lapid told the YNet news website. Officials at Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, said Mr Lavrov was “propagating the reversal of the Holocaust by turning victims into criminals based on a completely unfounded claim that Hitler was of Jewish descent”. “It’s just as serious to call Ukrainians Nazis in general, and President Zelensky in particular. “This, among other things, is a complete distortion of history and an insult to the victims of Nazism,” the statement added. Israel’s harsh criticism of Moscow comes at a time when the country has sought to take a neutral stance on the war. Meanwhile, German government spokesman Steffen Hebstreit called Moscow’s “propaganda” efforts “absurd” and unworthy of comment. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine on February 24, calling it a “special military operation” to oust leaders he described as neo-Nazis. However, Ukrainian leaders have drawn parallels between Putin and Hitler over the nature of unprovoked aggression. “In trying to rewrite history, Moscow is simply looking for arguments to justify the mass killings of Ukrainians,” Ukrainian Presidential Adviser Mikhail Podoliak wrote on Twitter. Dmitry Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said Mr Lavrov’s statements exposed the “deep-rooted anti-Semitism of the Russian elite”. “His disgusting comments are offensive to the president [Volodymyr Zelensky], Ukraine, Israel and the Jewish people. “More broadly, they prove that Russia today is full of hatred for other nations.” Despite the dark history of Ukraine’s anti-Semitism, Mr. Zelensky has often used his family background to suggest that the country is not as hateful as Putin describes it. Zelensky’s grandfather had reportedly fought in the Soviet Army against the Nazis, while other family members had died in the Holocaust. “Justifying this attack, Vladimir Putin has misinterpreted and exaggerated the history of the Holocaust by falsely claiming that a democratic Ukraine must be ‘depopulated,’” the Holocaust Memorial Museum said in a statement on February 24. The Independent has a proud campaign history for the rights of the most vulnerable and we first launched our “Welcome Refugees” campaign during the war in Syria in 2015. Now, as we renew our campaign and start this report on In the wake of the unfolding Ukrainian crisis, we call on the government to move faster and faster to secure aid. To learn more about our Refugee Campaign, click here. To sign the application click here. If you would like to donate, click here for our GoFundMe page.
