'The Handmaid's Tale' Author Criticizes Putin's 'Denazification' Claims

Margaret Atwood, the Canadian author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin, has spoken out against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his rationale for invading Ukraine.

In an interview published Tuesday in The Kyiv Independent, Atwood, 83, discussed her opposition to Russia's war, as well as the alleged violence Ukrainian women have suffered at the hands of invading soldiers.

"The Russian narrative doesn't really stand up very well, the 'denazification' type of thing. If you're going to invade every place that has Nazis, you're going to have a long list," Atwood said of one of Putin's frequently cited justifications for the war.

She added, "You can invade Germany, you can invade the United States, there are Nazis in both of them. You can invade Canada, we've got some Nazis too. So good try but not buying it."

Atwood also took exception with other statements made by Putin, including his statements earlier in the year that the invasion of Ukraine was an act of self-defense.

"And the other one, Russia protecting itself—from what? Nobody in their right mind would ever invade Russia, it is too big. Everybody, who has ever invaded, has had a horrible experience," Atwood said per The Kyiv Independent.

When asked by the publication about the sexual violence allegedly committed against Ukrainian women by Russian troops, Atwood said such crimes are common during war.

"This is not new. That goes back to the Trojan War. It's an old motif, it's one of the things that always happens in war. But yes, wars are not good for women. They are not good for men either," she said.

Atwood told the online outlet that she had scheduled a birdwatching trip to Ukraine this year before Putin ordered his military to attack in late February. Since then, she said she's been following the events closely by "doomscrolling a lot."

Atwood has lent her voice to supporting the Ukrainian people throughout the year, from attending a rally in Toronto to participating virtually in a Ukrainian book festival.

Soon after the invasion, Atwood was among more than 1,000 writers who signed an open letter that condemned Putin's actions in Ukraine.

The letter, which was organized by the PEN International literary organization, was also signed by Salman Rushdie, Jonathan Franzen and Orhan Pamuk.

"We stand united in condemnation of a senseless war, waged by President Putin's refusal to accept the rights of Ukraine's people to debate their future allegiance and history without Moscow's interference," the letter said in part. "We stand united in support of writers, journalists, artists, and all the people of Ukraine, who are living through their darkest hours...We stand united in calling for peace and for an end to the propaganda that is fueling the violence."

Newsweek reached out to Atwood for comment.