Photo/Illutration Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9. (Pool Photo via AP)

“Lebensborn,” or “The fountain of life” in German, was the name of Nazi Germany’s secret World War II project, the purpose of which was to increase the population of the “superior race.”

Under this project, blond-haired, blue-eyed children were abducted from Nazi-occupied nations and brought to Germany, where they were taught to speak German, given German names and officially adopted by citizens of German-Nordic stock.

Alfred Hartmann, who had grown up as a young pro-Nazi patriot during World War II, was stunned to discover as an adult that he had been brought over from Poland as a small child.

His birth name was Alojzy Twardecki (1938-2016). In his book, he recounted how he was split between two nations and two families during the first half of his life.

I heard Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech at the May 9 Victory Day celebrations. He insisted that Europe and the United States were spewing hatred around the world and blamed them for “apparently forgetting what Nazi Germany’s ambitions had caused.”

Then, let me ask him this: Which country is kidnapping children from Russian-occupied land, just as the Germans did to children in Nazi-occupied countries?

Russian troops have abducted more than 16,000 Ukrainian children, according to the Ukrainian government. One rescued victim recalled that even siblings were separated and taken to different facilities, where they were forced to repeatedly sing songs of praise for Russia.

There are also reports of kidnapped Ukrainian children being put up for adoption in Russia.

As if presenting a mirror image of the insanity of Russia’s former enemy, Putin keeps repeating the same insanity.

Having been served in March with an arrest warrant by the Pretrial Chamber of the International Criminal Court “in the context of the situation in Ukraine,” is spouting a self-serving argument all Putin can do now?

Recalling his extremely eventful life, Twardecki wrote to the effect, “A person’s humanity is best revealed in how they treat a different race as well as a situation and opinion different from their own.”

I want Putin to hear this.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 10

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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