Putin only pretends there are Nazis in Ukraine because this enables him to tap into Russian mythology about The Great Patriotic War. Like all Kremlin propaganda, the aim is to scattergun soundbites so as to provide something for everyone. As most people simply latch onto whatever is familiar to them, it doesn't matter if the propaganda is inane, self-contradictory, and based purely in fantasy. Ordinary people believe whatever they are told, which is why it is so very easy to dupe them. The tragedy is that Russia will now be implacably opposed to the West for at least two generations, and it is notable that Western politicians and analysts have completely failed to grasp this crucial fact.