Add in the fact that Germans of a certain type now occupy most of the key leadership positions, and you can see why crushing it is on Russia’s agenda. I thought the type had died out but they’re now enjoying a resurgence of influence. The type that denazification never quite rooted out and still know in their hearts that Slavs are untermensch to be exterminated or subjugated and the Latins of the south are just garrulous children who are incapable of handling their own affairs without the help of a firm guiding hand. Putin served as head of the KGB in East Germany for years and knows the type well. It’s why he stripped them out of the Stasi and replaced them with people who leaned more towards Lenin than Adolph.