“No other EU country values him so much Vladimir Putin as much as in Greece “, writes o Gerd Heller in the journalistic network Editorial Network Germany: “As everything shows, the attack on Ukraine did not dissolve for many Greeks their friendship with Russia. “This sympathy has religious, historical and ideological roots.” However, as he points out, “when it comes to Putin and his war, the country is deeply divided.”
The common religion, the journalist emphasizes, is a strong bond between the two countries: “In Greece and Russia, Orthodoxy is still an important source of nationalism. This explains the sympathy for Russia by a large part of the Greek right and the clergy. But this sympathy also has historical roots “, he states, taking a look back at the Greek-Russian relations from the Greek revolution of 1821 until today.
“Now the war is a big test for the Greeks’ sympathy for Russia, because of the Greek minority that numbers about 150,000 people in Ukraine. According to a poll, only 26% of Greeks are in favor of aid to Ukraine, while 68% say they are dissatisfied with the policy of the Greek government – in this percentage may also be supporters of New Democracy. “The ND has been a twin party with Putin’s ‘United Russia’ since 2011. And Putin’s supporters within the party may become a problem for the Greek prime minister in the run-up to the next election.”
DW / Chryssa Vachtsevanou
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