When Vladimir Putin proclaims to the West that he is fighting Nazis in Ukraine, he is not lying.

However, what he is doing is using a minority of extremism as a scapegoat to justify a more extensive set of motives. The presence of neo-Nazis in Ukraine, a phenomenon that, while concerning, is not unusual for Eastern Europe or even the Russian states itself. This region has a long and troubled past with ultra-conservatism and anti-Semitism, dating back centuries gone by, and today’s episode will aim to help you unpack and discover this past.