Stalin believed he was a communist. Some people even but into that today. He actually wrote a lot to have communism fit his particular brand of authoritarianism.

Putin is more nihilistic. He believes that he can recreate tsar Peters' Russia. Or so I think, he doesn't really publicize his ideas.

Of course calling each other Nazi is absurd. Why not Putinist? Why did evil today need bear the name of what evil was ninety years ago? Call them murderers racists, kidnappers. Why do we feel we need the term Nazi?

Look if they all start wearing SS uniforms, singing the Horst Wessel song, start obscure groups of Germanic mythology and read mein Kampf, then you can call them Nazi. This is an evil that needs a new name.

Because otherwise the other side will always point at the Ukrainians that did help the Nazis and say 'you did that too!' And that's a useless discussion.