Croatian president Milanović compares 'Slava Ukraini' salute to 'Sieg Heil'

In an off-colour statement on Wednesday, Croatian President Zoran Milanović landed himself in hot water after comparing the Ukrainian patriotic chant “Slava Ukraini” to a Nazi salute.

At an awards ceremony in Zagreb, Milanović told reporters that the Ukrainian slogan – used widely since the Russian intervention in 2014 and even more so since last year's full-scale invasion – is a throwback to the killing of Jews and Poles during early 20th century conflicts in Eastern Europe.

"This is the chant of the most radical chauvinists from Western Ukraine who collaborated with Nazis, who killed hundreds of thousands of Poles, Jews, and anyone else they got their hands on," Milanović said at the event. "These are the facts."

"Slava Ukraini", which translates to "Glory to Ukraine" and is usually followed by the response "Glory to the Heroes", is a national salute and the official battle cry of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regularly ends his public speeches with this phrase. It has become ubiquitous in the country as a sign of national resolve, similar to the British wartime slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On”.

Found on billboards, t-shirts, and even bank cards, it is perhaps the single most recognisable phrase in Ukrainian public life.

Milanović compared it to the chant used by sympathisers of the Croatian World War II-era Nazi puppet state, known as the Independent State of Croatia or NDH. It was led by some of Europe's most fervent Hitler adherents, who conducted brutal ethnic cleansing campaigns.

“There is no difference between the chant ‘For the Homeland, Prepared!’ and 'Glory to Ukraine,'” Milanović insisted, referring to a Nazi battle cry from NDH days.

The slogan has banned for public use by