This is part of the series about how nations extrapolate their fears on others. The introduction can be found here. I will write other articles later as each takes a lot of time.
In the West idea of Nazis in Ukraine is not taken any more seriously than half-baked excuse on the level of "dog ate my homework". People think it's just face-saving exercise by Russian government invented on the go. Nobody takes this statement with any degree of seriousness.
That is why no one in the West could believe that a lot of people in Russian Federation actually think about it seriously and with great concern. Yet, as unbelievable as it sounds, in Russia people are indeed concerned and worried over this. That raises question: why so?
What Russians Understand by Nazi
To begin with I need to explain what they even understand by Nazi. By nazis they understand organized groups of people who commit sectarian hate crime and cleansing against people of other ethnicities. The closest example of such mindset in the West can be found in Northern Ireland where antagonism between Catholics and Protestants led towards civil strife, called The Troubles. Animosity escalated into violence, and it took many years of fighting and followed by length negotiations to reach ceasefire.
Ukrainian situation has a lot in common with Norther Ireland. Even such superficial things such as special symbolism of color orange. Both countries had insurgent armies, that fought against their occupier, Irish Republican Army and Ukrainian Insurgent Army have a lot in common.
However Northern Irish mindset, that led them towards such civil strife, is hardly understood elsewhere in the Western world. Even other parts of the UK seem do not care or even understand why Northern Irish Catholics and Protestants cannot get along. Despite Irish unionist desire to keep ties to UK, most modern Brits think that Northern Ireland has nothing to do with them and wish they all would just move on. Even politicians who tried to resolve Northern Ireland problems seem to think Northern Irish are illogical and solving their problems are impossible. Northern Ireland problem even beame a figure of speech for unsovable issue. Yet despite being isolated in this sectarian way of thinking, both sides of Northern Ireland conflict persist in pushing for their cause.
Ukraine has similar strife between pro-Russian Russophone unionists and pro-Ukrainian Ukrainophone Nationalists. The difference here is that unlike public of the rest of the UK who would prefer Northern Ireland to just disappear, many Russians are very concerned and involved in similar conflicts in former USSR. It's like if in average Brit would say and think something like let's help our fellow Unionist British to beat these Catholic IRA Nazis and protect our Ireland. Irish Unionists could only dream of such support from the rest of the UK, but Russians somehow different about it. Such sentiment allows Putin to win popular support by getting himself involved in this issue, rather than lose it.
Why they Think There are Nazis in Ukraine
However, why Russia thinks like people of Northern Ireland. You can partly blame it on Soviet propaganda that demonized Stepan Bandera and Ukrainian Insurgent Army and linked them to Nazis, equating Bandera with Quisling.
Even when Soviet Government defeated the UIA, the propaganda kept telling Soviets about Banderites, hiding somewhere in the woods of Western Ukraine.
Modern Russian propaganda claims that Ukrainian Insurgent Army saw a resurgence after the collapse of USSR and now commit hate crimes against pro-Russian Russophones. These actions lead towards increasing antagonism between Russophones and Ukrainophones in Ukraine.
What Makes One Russian in Russian Eyes
However, why idea of ethnic based insurgency is relatable in Russia in the first place? That is because public in Russia base their identity on ethnicity and language rather than on place of birth or residence. That makes them view themselves not as people who live in what is geographically defined as Russia, but as a linguistic, cultural and ethnic group that is defined by common ancestry, language and culture. By this definition there could be Russians anywhere in the world.
To better understand difference between these two distinct ways of thinking, I will bring example of from citizenship law. In citizenship law there are two main approaches to how citizenship is conferred on individual: jus soli and jus sanguine. Jus soli mean based on place of birth. The best and most extreme example is the American citizenship law that convers the US citizenship on every person, who is born on the US territory. Alternative is jus sanguine that confers citizenship based on descent from another citizen. Thus, a child born in the US from a German mother would be citizen of both these countries, but a child born in Germany to an American mother would be neither American nor German. Some transitional arrangements aimed at preventing statelessness would likely eventually confer such child one or the other citizenship, but here is a difference in principle. The Americans think if a person is born in the US that makes him American, if a person is born in the other country, that makes him national of that country. Germans or Russians do not think this way, instead they think if a person is born to a parent who is our national, then child is also out national. If a person born to some other country's national, then they are national of country of their parent.
That principle applies to a common people rule of thumb judgement by common people. For an American people in Crimea or Donbas are Ukrainians because they live in Ukraine. For a Russian they are Russians because they speak Russian language, have Russian culture and likely descendent from people of mainland Russia. Because of that Russians support war to protect other Russians.
How This Affect How Russians Behave
Jus sanguine way of thinking produce division of people based on their ethnicity. In America color of skin is a determiner of race. In mostly white countries it is instead language, culture or religion that divide people into us and them. Russia itself is no stranger to ethnic prejudice, in occupied Crimea Russia discriminates and oppresses Muslim Tatar minority. Russia uses this and other minorities to mobilize and unite Russophones against people of different ethnicity or culture.
However, if Russophone leadership of occupied Crimea treats Tatars and Ukrainophones as second-class citizens outsiders then they can simultaneously assume that if a Tatar or Ukrainophone would take power, they would treat Russophones as second-class citizens and favor their ethnicity and culture instead. That is why Russophones got concerned when Ukrainophone Yushchenko prevailed against Russophone Yanukovych during Orange Revolution.
That started the fire. Russian media further splashed petrol into this fire but running fake reports about ethnic strife and violence in Ukraine. That is how linguistic, cultural and ethnic identity pushes Russophone to unite against outsiders. After years of escalating propaganda, Russophones were radicalized against Ukrainophones and by now welcome Russian troops as "liberators" much to a delight of Putin who sees his ratings go up.
Historical Origins of This Way of Thinking
However, why most Russians are so attached to this common ethno-cultural identity. In the end of the day just because someone of the same ethnicity as you do not guarantee they will treat you well. From my experience, Russophones are the least welcoming of ethnicities. That could be because they perceived me as outsider of some sorts. That eventually led me to think I am likely not Russian after all.
The answer to that possibly lies in history. What is now Russia used to be fringe of border area of many civilizations. Unlike the US, where most migrants arrived at the time when society was already organized and orderly, in Russia there was no any law culture or society. The area was open field Social Darwinist place where one could carve himself a way with either cunning of violence. Vikings from Scandinavia ended up competing and eventually dislodging Judaistic Hazars and Iranic Scythians for power and control over Slavic and Finno-Ugric locals. Later Mongols and Turkic Tatars also entered the fry and tried to dislodge Vikings, creating an empire with former Viking elites as middlemen. People from all these different areas ended up competing for power and influence in these conditions.
Environment like that would lead towards people seeing fellow ethno-cultural group as potential allies and all newcomers or generally any different people as potential danger. This sentiment evolved into modern day instinctual near fascist obsession with Russian world and preservation of Russian people against any outsiders.
Conclusion
Being themselves discriminative against other ethno-cultural groups, Russians fear similar discrimination from other ethnicities. That leads towards support for military actions against any such groups. Particularly those who theoretically can be defeated easily.
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