Context: During a visit to Kyiv on May 11, 2026, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Ukraine and Germany will collaborate on the production of long-range drones. Such drones will be able to fly up to 1,500 kilometers — enough to reach not only Moscow, but also Arkhangelsk or Ufa.
On May 9, 2026, Klub redaktorov on the First Information TV Channel (News.by, owned by Belteleradiocompany) discussed the “revival of Nazism in Europe.” The show participants alleged that the Germans never underwent complete denazification after World War II, but instead repented ostentatiously and superficially. Vadzim Hihin, a member of the House of Representatives and the National Library’s CEO, said that many of them sympathized with Hitler.
“And we are now seeing that Hitler has… Almost a third of Germans consider him either a hero or a positive figure. We are seeing how these ideas are being revived, and within very different political parties,” said Hihin.
The last major survey focusing specifically on attitudes toward Adolf Hitler was conducted by the University of Leipzig in 2024. The Germans were asked whether they agreed with the statement that Hitler would be considered a great statesman today if he had not for the extermination of the Jews. Only 1% of respondents answered “yes.” Another 5.6% chose the “rather yes” option. 80% of Germans hold the opposite opinion.
It is possible that Vadzim Hihin was referring to a different poll. The German publication Die Zeit commissioned it in 2025. The poll examined the attitudes of present-day Germans toward the National Socialist era. Almost 28% of respondents either fully or partially agreed with the statement that this period is portrayed too negatively and one-sidedly today, and that it had some positive aspects. Of those respondents, only 6% strongly agreed.
The same 6% said that Germans are not obliged to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and the history of National Socialism. People holding such views were found among supporters of various German political parties. The highest share was among supporters of the national-populist Alternative for Germany (58%), while the lowest was among Green Party supporters (6%).
However, an assessment of the National Socialist era is not equivalent to an assessment of Hitler himself.. This is a misleading substitution.