Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list

Russian state media reported Saturday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has found himself on Russia's wanted list, as per the interior ministry’s database. Alongside Zelenskyy, his predecessor Petro Poroshenko and Ukraine’s ground forces commander, Gen. Oleksandr Pavlyuk, also made the list, facing unspecified criminal charges.

The allegations against these individuals remained unclear as Russian officials provided no immediate clarification. Mediazona, an independent Russian news outlet, asserted that Zelenskyy and Poroshenko have been on the list since late February.

Responding to the reports, Ukraine’s foreign ministry dismissed Zelenskyy’s inclusion as a manifestation of “the desperation of the Russian state machine and propaganda.”

Beyond Ukrainian figures, Russia's list encompasses officials and lawmakers from Ukraine and NATO countries. Notably, Kaja Kallas, the prime minister of NATO and EU member Estonia, features on the list, primarily due to her advocacy for increased military aid to Kyiv and firmer sanctions against Moscow.

Russian authorities justify Kallas's inclusion by citing Tallinn’s efforts to remove Soviet-era monuments to Red Army soldiers, branding it as "rehabilitation of Nazism" and "desecration" of war memorials.

Estonia, along with Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, have removed similar monuments, viewed as remnants of Soviet occupation. Russia's laws condemning the "rehabilitation of Nazism" extend to individuals such as cabinet ministers from Estonia and Lithuania, as well as the International Criminal Court prosecutor who drafted a warrant for President Vladimir Putin on war crimes charges.

The Kremlin has persistently sought to link Ukraine’s leadership to Nazism, despite having a democratically elected Jewish president with family ties to the Holocaust. Moscow's narrative aims to delegitimize Ukraine’s government and its democratic aspirations, reducing corruption and fostering closer ties with the West.

Central to Russia's narrative is the notion of “de-Nazification, de-militarization, and a neutral status” for Ukraine. This framing attempts to paint Russia's military intervention in Ukraine as a "special military operation," disregarding allegations of radical nationalist influence and neo-Nazi connections within Ukraine, refuted by Kyiv and its Western allies.

Putin has instrumentalized the Holocaust, World War II, and Nazism to justify Russia’s actions in Ukraine. However, some historians argue that Russia has selectively emphasized the Soviet role in defeating the Nazis while downplaying collaboration and alleged atrocities committed by Soviet forces, particularly in Eastern Europe.