Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized Europe for the term 'Russophobia' or fear caused by Russia which triggers anti-Russian policies in the countries of the Blue Continent. This refers to the Ukrainian war which has not yet ended to this day.

Putin also criticized the Baltic countries for upholding human rights. He conveyed this at the inauguration of the World War II memorial, on Saturday (27/1/2024).

Since sending Russian troops to Ukraine almost two years ago, Putin has compared it to the struggle against the Nazis to rally his nation's morale.

“The regime in Kyiv glorified Hitler's henchmen, the SS men…In a number of European countries, Russophobia was promoted as state policy,” Putin said on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Nazi siege, citing Reuters and CNA.

Germany's goal at that time was to steal the Soviet Union's resources and exterminate its people, he said.

Ukraine, which was part of the Soviet Union and suffered devastation at the hands of Hitler's forces, dismissed the comparison as a false pretext for a war of conquest.

In his speech, Putin also criticized the Baltic countries over human rights. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – which ruled from Moscow during the Cold War but are now members of the European Union and the NATO military alliance – are among the harshest critics of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

“In the Baltic countries, tens of thousands of people were declared subhuman, deprived of their basic rights, and subjected to persecution,” Putin said, referring to a crackdown on migration. Moscow has repeatedly accused the Baltic states of xenophobia and treating Russian minorities as “second class”.

[Gambas:Video CNBC]

(haa/haa)