Is it so wrong to sell Nazi toys?

KYIV, Ukraine — Toy soldiers are all fun and games — but not when Nazis are involved, according to the Russian authorities.

Moscow’s most famous toy store has become the subject of a criminal investigation after a retailer there was found to be selling figurines and busts of World War II-era German soldiers, in full regalia. The charge: inciting hatred and offending the dignity of veterans.

The story broke last Friday, when a state television report titled “Fascists in downtown Moscow” revealed a hobby shop based in the Central Children’s Store, a sprawling Soviet-era landmark, was selling disturbingly realistic busts of Nazi soldiers, including SS officers.

Here’s the report (in Russian) by the Vesti TV network. 

“When they make high-quality dolls of Nazi criminals and sell them in children’s stores, then they must be either insane, or simply not respect their country,” said Franz Klintsevich, a senior lawmaker with the ruling United Russia party, local media reported Monday. 

Now, Russia’s federal youth agency will reportedly spend the week hitting stores across the country in search of other potential offenders. 

Тhe store’s management has deflected blame onto the independent retailer, who later told a Moscow radio station he believes he’s a pawn in a business dispute between the shopping center’s former and current management. The figurines were promptly removed from the shelves at the Children’s Central Store, but reports have emerged of investigators finding similar figurines at the retailer's other Moscow location.

The entire affair is not only about bad taste — but bad timing, too.

The country is gearing up to celebrate the 70th anniversary next month of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany, a point of pride for many Russians. Victory Day, as it’s known there, is one of their most popular holidays.

State-sponsored patriotism is also making a prominent comeback in Russia. The Kremlin has been aggressively jogging Russians’ memory of a glorious history, and is accused of whitewashing some of its bloodiest chapters, to consolidate support.

An increasing share of Russians approve of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin for his role in industrializing the Soviet Union and winning the war, according to recent polls. Several cities are reportedly considering building Stalin monuments, and a museum honoring his legacy will soon open in a region northwest of Moscow.

More from GlobalPost: Why so many Russians like Stalin again 

Last year, President Vladimir Putin signed a law criminalizing the denial of Nazi crimes and the slander of the Soviet Red Army, a move some critics said infringed on free speech.

Cracking down on Nazi figurines may seem like an open-and-shut case. But some lawyers and enthusiasts worry about the potentially dangerous precedent it would set for military buffs and other ordinary collectors. 

Somewhat surprisingly, most Russians are not exactly up in arms about the German soldier tchotchkes: 65 percent say they weren’t offended by the sale of the figurines, according to a fresh poll cited in local media.

It’s the second time in two weeks that the Central Children’s Store has stirred up a scandal.

Located near the former headquarters of the Soviet KGB, it made enemies late last month for running a TV commercial that poked fun at the former spy agency’s history of interrogating and torturing political prisoners.