Putin accused of ‘deep-rooted antisemitism’ after ‘ethnic Jew’ jibe at Zelensky

President Vladimir Putin has been accused of “deep-rooted antisemitism” after accusing western countries of installing an “ethnic Jew” as Ukraine’s president to “cover up” what its “glorification of Nazism.”

In remarks made to Russian state media, Putin alleged that Zelensky’s election victory in 2019 was the result of a western-backed plot to deflect criticism of what the Kremlin falsely describes as a “neo-Nazi” regime in Ukraine.

“It makes the situation extremely disgusting that an ethnic Jew is covering up the glorification of Nazism,” Putin said. He added: “And this is best understood by ordinary citizens of Israel. Look what they say on the internet.”

As Ukraine’s first Jewish leader President Zelensky’s great-grandparents were killed by Nazi forces who set fire to their village in Ukraine.

His grandfather also died fighting the invading German army.

Putin has previously cited Zelensky’s Jewish roots, claiming in June that his Jewish friends had told him that the Ukrainian president “is not a Jew — he is a disgrace to the Jewish people”.

He Putin told Russian state TV on Tuesday: “Western curators have put a person at the head of modern Ukraine – an ethnic Jew, with Jewish roots, with Jewish origins.”

“Putin’s chronic fixation on the ethnic origins of the Ukrainian president is yet another manifestation of the deep-rooted antisemitism of Russian elites,” a spokesman for the Ukrainian foreign ministry said.