CAMPAIGNERS condemned “Russophobic” representations of the Ukrainian civil war in school textbooks yesterday, as Kiev launched a campaign of “decommunisation.”

In images reminiscent of fascist and cold war anti-communist propaganda, Dutch textbooks for 15 and 16-year-olds show a map of Russia as a red monster with claws and fangs devouring a helpless Ukraine which reaches out to a concerned-looking Europe for help.

Ironically, the snout of the Russian “monster” is neighbouring Belarus, which has hosted peace talks between the Western-backed government in Kiev and separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.