The Claim:
A Russian state media journalist, Vladimir Kornilov posted a false historical claim to his Telegram channel: “Europeans don’t agree that the Soviet Union alone won the great patriotic war against Nazi Germany. They recall that “all the allies together” defeated the Nazis. Here is a photo of French Vichy from January 1940 where people make Hitlerian salute. Those western Europeans now consider themselves “victors of the Second World War”
Narrative Context:
Russia is utilizing historical revisionism as a strategic tool in its comprehensive conflict in Ukraine, employing disinformation tactics to construct an alternate narrative. These efforts extend to the modification of educational materials, such as school history textbooks, to align with narratives that aim to cast the collective West in a pro-Nazi light, while positioning Russia as the rightful heir to the Soviet Union’s anti-Nazi legacy.
The Facts:
The narrative that the Soviet Union single-handedly defeated Nazi Germany overlooks the critical collaboration within the Allies post-July 1941, notably benefiting from support mechanisms such as the Lend-Lease program.
The depiction of a Hitler salute in Vichy France mis-aligns chronologically with January 1940, given that the Vichy government wasn’t established until July 1940. During January 1940, France was actively engaged in conflict with Germany following the Nazi-Soviet invasion of Poland, a period when the Soviet Union maintained beneficial economic ties with Nazi Germany.
The Vichy administration governed southeastern France, with the remainder under German control until November 1942, when Germany extended its occupation throughout France. The Vichy regime’s stance did not reflect the entirety of French sentiment or governance, as a government-in-exile operated from London, and French armed forces engaged Axis powers both domestically and internationally. Notably, French aviators and engineers joined forces with the Soviet Union, fighting alongside them in the Fighter Squadron 2/30 Normandie-Niemen on the Eastern Front.
