The sharp warnings coming from Russian political leaders about the growth of 1930s-style revanchism in Germany, and the EU in general, did not begin with their response to the May 22 drone attack on the Starobelsk trade school, which killed 18 youth.
Back on May 7, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Security Council, wrote a lengthy, widely-discussed article headlined “Germany’s new militarization: Revival of the spirit or blatant revanchism?”.
The newspaper Vzglyad questioned a number of Russian Duma members about their response to Medvedev’s article.
Yevgeny Popov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, stated: “We see industrial growth in Germany: civilian conglomerates that once manufactured automobiles are once again shifting onto a wartime footing. We see massive investments in weaponry, an expansion of the army, and active recruitment efforts. And most importantly—the current German government makes no secret of its plans to wage war against Russia… We must ensure that a revanchist Germany is never again able to rear its head and threaten our country and our people,” the deputy concluded.
Vyacheslav Nikonov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, stated that it is not only Germany, but the entire European Union that is returning “to the path of revenge.” In a later discussion on Channel One Russia TV, Nikonov noted that 28 different countries co-produce drones for Kiev. One could view the EU today, he added, as a reassembly of the countries of “the defeated Hitler coalition.” But, he emphasized as the TV program displayed extracts from a 1940 UK military staff report on how to defeat the Soviet Union, it was above all the British and French who pushed Hitler to invade Russia. To Vzglyad, Nikonov emphasized that Germany’s preparations for war with Russia could have grave consequences for Germany itself, “because our country’s military capabilities vastly exceed those of Germany—particularly regarding strategic strike assets,” he warned.
Pyotr Tolstoy, Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, stated: “Another eastward crusade by a ‘European Reich’ would mark the final chord in the continent’s history. Gentlemen revanchists, read the [Russian] 2024 nuclear doctrine—everything is laid out there in the clearest possible terms.”