Ukraine tweets caricature showing Hitler approves Putin's invasion; sparks reactions

In a post that has sparked massive reaction on micro-blogging site Twitter, Ukraine's official handle tweeted a caricature of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler appearing pleased and giving his approval to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The tweet came even as Moscow began special military operations aimed at demilitarisation and denazification of Ukraine.

Also read: Russia's invasion of Ukraine: World leaders condemn Putin's aggression

This is, however, not the first time comparisons have been drawn between Hitler and Putin, as the run-up to the Russian invasion saw several Ukrainian protesters draw parallels to the Nazi leader's actions before the Second World War.

The Russian President on Thursday morning called on the Ukraine military to 'lay down its arms' in a televised address. Putin said that his country was left no chance to protect itself by other means. "I have decided to conduct a special military operation," he announced.

He also vowed retaliation against those who interfered with the Russian Ukraine operation. "To anyone who would consider interfering from outside. If you intervene, you will face consequences they have never seen. The relevant decisions have been taken. I hope you are hearing me," he said.

On Wednesday, White House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also compared the Russian President's 'very evil' aggression and recognition of separatist regions to Hitler's annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938.

"This is a very evil move on the part of Vladimir Putin. He's a KGB guy who happens to be probably the richest man in the world because of his exploitation of his own people that he doesn't want them to know about," she said.

"Putin uses excuses like — it's changed — every time you hear him say, 'Well, they're part of us. That's who we are. They should be us.' Now they're saying, 'But we have to go in because they want to be part of NATO.' My friends, this is our moment. This is the Sudetenland. That's what people were saying there," Pelosi added.

"You cannot ignore what Putin is doing. And nobody is, of course, ignoring it — but you cannot take it any lighter than what it is: a total assault on democracy," the White House Speaker concluded.

Also read: Dramatic videos surface of Russian bombardment in Ukraine

Hitler annexed the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia in 1938 as a result of the Munich Agreement with France and the UK just months after taking over Austria. British Minister Neville Chamberlain infamously claimed the deal would bring "peace for our time."

Putin on Monday had recognised the Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as independent states.

The tweet posted by Ukraine's official handle also sparked massive outrage on the social media platform, with several stating Putin has joined Hitler as an evil, amoral individual.