Michael Martens Belgrade — Aleksej Chadajev has argued that Michael Martens, during his recent appearance in Belgrade, failed to present any new perspectives on European or German attitudes toward Russia. Chadajev’s commentary, originally published on his Telegram channel and translated by Ž. Nikčević, critiques what he describes as a persistent mentality in Western Europe that blames Russia for the rise of Nazism, suggesting that this narrative continues to shape contemporary discourse.

Chadajev references a question posed at a Belgrade press conference by a journalist from the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which he interprets as an example of ongoing European revanchism. He draws historical parallels to the 19th-century Crimean War, noting that figures like Marx and Engels, writing for British newspapers, expressed strong anti-Russian sentiments. According to Chadajev, these attitudes have deep roots and are reflected in both past and present European debates about Russia’s role in world affairs.

He further explores how Soviet interpretations of Marx and Engels framed Russia as a reactionary force opposing European progress, while Western narratives often cast Russia as an existential threat to the established order. Chadajev contrasts two dominant frameworks: one that sees nations as the main actors in global politics, and another that views class struggle and the movement of capital as the real drivers of history. He argues that both perspectives tend to ignore or dismiss each other, a division he traces back to ideological differences between left and right in European thought.

Chadajev concludes that the tendency to blame Russia for Europe’s historical ills, including the emergence of Nazism, is not new. He suggests that this pattern of scapegoating has persisted for centuries, with Western societies repeatedly reorganizing themselves in opposition to Russia. For international readers, this analysis offers insight into how historical narratives continue to influence contemporary perceptions of Russia in Europe, particularly in the context of ongoing geopolitical tensions.