[ROSOBORONEXPORTCORP]

Pardon for my ignorance, but Russians fighting for Nazis is just outrageous.

Being born a certain nationality does not predicate unwavering allegiance to that nationality. Geographical birth locations do not really have anything to do with how people experience allegiance to nations and governments. This has far more to do with how governments treat their subjects and/or citizens. Which is why tyrannies of any kind, be they fascist, communist, religious or capitalist, left or right-wing, governments that oppress their citizens will generally be their own cause of generating and creating opposition to their rule.

The main reason there were not more Russians fighting on the Axis side is that National Socialist ideology predicated racial treatment of Russians on just as awful a scale as did Soviet ideology. These people were therefore caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place, having to choose between the devil or the deep blue sea. Whatever choice they made, they ended up losing.

I'd disagree about the idea that the choices were anywhere near being comparably bad.

It is pretty clear that the NAZI Germans were bent on genocide throughout the region. They killed all captured officers and officials, conducted massive reprisals against civilians and slaughtered holocaust victims. From planning documents it is clear that their long term intentions were to wipe out most of the population. They did enrol some troops from Eastern Europe - but this was largely an act of desperation due to the need for manpower on the eastern front. It should be remembered that they also employed Jewish collaborators within the concentration camps.

There were many downsides to the Soviet Union - but genocide never really materialised. One thing that can be said about the Soviet Union was that they persecuted all groups relatively equally. If you were from an ethnic minority, you could be made an example of (but the same was largely true for "ethnic russians"). If you were a general member of the public you could be arrested on trumped up charges (but the same was true for party members). True socialist equality.

An odd irony is that one had a better chance of survival in a Gulag than in the Russian army until about 1942. Cold war propaganda aside it was a very tough fight and necessary. Life in the Soviet Union, was in comparison, very pleasant.