DISINFO: Bandera's sympathisers have large influence on Ukraine
SUMMARY
The supporters of Nazism and (Stepan) Bandera are respected in Ukraine, which is no different... They have a very large political presence and influence in the internal social and political life of Ukraine.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives, painting Ukrainian politics as dominated by Nazi groups.
First of all, Nazi ideologies were banned by Ukrainian law in 2015. Secondly, far-right groups had a very limited presence during the 2014 Euromaidan demonstrations itself and even gained poor results in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections.
In 2019, the far-right "Svoboda" (often described as "ultra-nationalist" or "Nazis" by pro-Kremlin outlets) gained only 2.15% of the vote, far short of the 5% threshold needed to enter Parliament. This demonstrates the public's lack of support for far-right nationalist parties in Ukraine. The current president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy got 73.22% of the vote in the 2019 presidential elections. His party "Sluga narodu" got the largest number of votes - 43.16% in subsequent parliamentary elections.
But nonetheless, Bandera as a person, remains a highly controversial figure in Ukraine itself, especially with some hailing him as a liberator who fought against both the Soviets and the Nazis state while trying to establish an independent Ukraine.
Read similar cases in our database alleging that Ukraine is run by pro-EU oligarchic Nazis supported by the US; or that Ukrainian army uniforms feature Nazi imagery; or that Ukraine was led by nationalist extremists and fascists; or that the alleged 2014 coup turned Ukraine into a Nazi state.