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> That the Wagner group enjoys such popular support, while their Nazi sympathies are also common knowledge^ makes this justification questionable.

I remember reading somewhere, that "Nazism" means something rather different in Russian culture than in Western culture. In the West, you say "Nazi" and the first thing most people think of is the Nazi mass murder of Jews, the Holocaust–that's what the school curriculum focuses on. But in Russia, you say "Nazi" and the first thing most people think of is the Nazi mass murder of Russians–that's what the Russian school curriculum focuses on. In the West, "Nazi=homicidal anti-semitism"; in Russia, "Nazi=homicidal Russophobia".

But, given that, what sense do they make of a group of Russian "Nazis" who support the Kremlin and fight its wars? It is a bit like if you met a group of neo-Nazis, and discovered they were all openly and proudly Jewish. If something doesn't make sense, people often just choose to pay no attention to it.

Similarly, the Russian accusations that Ukraine is a "neo-Nazi regime" seem ludicrous to Western ears – "Zelenskyy is of Jewish descent, his great grandparents died in the Holocaust, how can he be a Nazi?" But to most Russians, for whom the primary meaning of "Nazi" is not "antisemite" but "Russophobe", the idea that "Ukrainian nationalism=Nazism" makes more sense, and Zelenskyy's Jewishness appears irrelevant.

> But in Russia, you say "Nazi" and the first thing most people think of is the Nazi mass murder of Russians–that's what the Russian school curriculum focuses on. In the West, "Nazi=homicidal anti-semitism"; in Russia, "Nazi=homicidal Russophobia".

In Canada there is a monument to a Nazi SS division [1], because it was made up of Ukrainian volunteers fighting the Soviets, post-Holodomor that was seen as the lesser of two evils.

So with that small bit of trivia in mind, your explanation really does make sense and I'm surprised I haven't seen it put or thought of it that way. I reckon that context is probably also relevant to the "nazi-ism" of Ukrainian paramilitary (and now formal military) units like Azov Brigade? (although being close to totally ignorant on the subject, for all I know said groups are equally antisemitic).

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorials_in_Canada_to_Nazis...

Similarly, here in Australia there have been some news stories in recent weeks concerning pro-fascist sentiments among Croatian Australians: https://www.smh.com.au/national/healing-wounds-the-jewish-an...

Whether we are talking about Ukrainian nationalists, or Croatian nationalists, or Finns, or whoever else – if the Nazis are the only people willing to be your allies, what do you do?

And in India: Subhas Chandra Bose, one of the leaders of the Indian independence movement, chose to ally himself with Hitler and Imperial Japan. Many Indians today still view him as a hero, and do not think his willingness to fight with the Axis condemns him. At the controversial Yasukuni Shrine in Japan, where Japan's war criminals are deified, there is a statute honouring the Indian judge Radhabinod Pal, who was the only judge at the Tokyo War Crimes Trial to acquit all the defendants. Through the memories of Bose and Pal, the governments of India and Japan have found something to bond over–their shared sympathy for the losing side in the Second World War.

"if the Nazis are the only people willing to be your allies"

Hmm, I wonder why. Maybe because of this [0]:

"An UVO brochure from 1929 stated: "Terror will be not only a means of self-defense, but also a form of agitation, which will affect friend and foe alike, regardless of whether they desire it or not."

The UVO organized a number of assassination attempts on some of the most renowned Polish and Ukrainian politicians, some of which were successful."

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Military_Organizatio...

"Ukrainian volunteers fighting the Soviets"

That's not the only thing they were doing. [0]

"like Azov Brigade"

I'd recommend a book by a Canadian journalist collaborating with Bellingcat on the subject of Azov and other Ukrainian nationalists. [1]

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/14th_Waffen_Grenadier_Divisi...

[1] http://cup.columbia.edu/book/from-the-fires-of-war/978383821...

That is what I have heard as well. Let’s be real, antisemitism never fell totally out of favor in Eastern Europe. I never bought for a second that Putin or any of the higher ups were worried about it. This also explains how a Jewish man can be called a Nazi with a straight face by Russian media and leaders. For many Russians, Nazi means Western European aligned organizations that kill Russians.

The Russian understanding of Nazism, like elsewhere, also includes aspects of racial purity, anti-Semitism, and ultra-nationalism, and a focus on "degeneracy" as the source of a nation's decline ("weak men make hard times").

Of course, the optics of being seen as a Nazi are very bad, so even Nazis are constantly pointing fingers and saying "no, THAT person is the true Nazi." But the facts aren't on their side, so we have no obligation to humor them when they say absurd things like "Zelenskyy is the true Nazi", when the man, aside from being Jewish, also isn't espousing Nazi ideology.

> "Zelenskyy is of Jewish descent, his great grandparents died in the Holocaust, how can he be a Nazi?"

This level of kindergarten logic from a grown ass men never cease to amaze me.

>> In March 2015, Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov announced that the Azov Regiment would be among the first units to be trained by United States Army troops in the Operation Fearless Guardian training mission.[282][283] US training however was withdrawn on 12 June 2015, as the US House of Representatives passed an amendment blocking any aid (including arms and training) to the regiment due to its neo-Nazi background.[284][285] *However, the amendment was later removed in November 2015,[284]*

> around 70%

I am deeply suspicious of these kinds of numbers. I just don't see any practical way of getting an honest sample.

Dictatorships tend to be extremely popular. Saddam Hussein, for instance, was elected with 99% approval! These dictators must be good at something.....

> in reality the populace harbours the same ambitions for a return of Russian imperial power that the Russian leadership does, and also holds similar moralistic perspective

Or people are terrified that if they appear to not be supporting the war they would end up in the gulags or, ironically, get sent to the frontlines with a gun pointed at their back.

70% supporting the war is way way of. Active supporters are likely in 20-25% range, majority would definitely be happy with any reasonable peace deal.

> The invasion of Ukraine enjoys popular support inside Russia - around 70%.

You should not take this number seriously. It has been greatly exaggerated by russian propaganda. At the same time there is no independent reliable polling in russia at this time. Also, Russians are reluctant to share their real views due to harsh criminal+administrative penalties for "spreading fakes about the army". The war vividly exposed all the corruption, grift, lawlessness, inefficiencies in russia on a huge scale. But people are anemic and resined to their fate. 20 years of putin took the wind out of their sails.

> the Russian populace has a far better/non-brainwashed understanding of the geopolitical situation than what is commonly suggested

I think this is probably true in a very limited, bone-deep way. They sense the power dynamics, feel the desire to be on top. What's needed is a rationalization for the conscious mind, to ease the path for it to come to the same conclusion, to endorse the actions you already wanted to take. Propaganda does just fine with that.

With that said, I think there are pretty large areas of detailed fact re: the state of the invasion, the economy, etc, where they are in fact deceived. All we can say about that is that it's extremely difficult to stand up under a constant barrage of one perspective when that one comes to your door and the other is restricted enough that you at least have to go out of your way for it. Especially if it's been that way your whole life.

"The invasion of Ukraine enjoys popular support inside Russia - around 70%"

How can you get this number? Today in Russia any question by a pollster sounds like "Do you support the war or do you want to get fined for "discreditation of the army"?". I remember quite different reaction to the Western polls in Crimea showing that huge majority support reunification with Russia -- "No, no, you can't believe any polls conducted in a non-free country, people there are just afraid to say they hate Russia and want back to the Ukraine".

"while their Nazi sympathies are also common knowledge"

I don't know anyone who knows that and supports Wagner.