DISINFO: Russia fought alone against Hitler and the whole of Europe in WWII
SUMMARY
Russia has to change its nuclear doctrine. By threatening the West with nuclear arms, Russia will prevent a Third World War. Its historic mission is to save the world once again, as it did during the Napoleonic Wars and the Second World War, when it was fighting against Hitler and the whole of Europe.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets claiming that Nazi ideology pervades European countries and Ukraine. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
In reality, the principal members of the Allied powers fighting the Axis powers during the Second World War were the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, the United States, and China (the “Big Four”), as well as France while it was unoccupied. The European Allies also included every other signatory to the Declaration by United Nations (January 1, 1942): Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Yugoslavia. The Axis powers were a coalition headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan.
EU member states have long been taking measures to reinforce anti-Nazism legislation (see here and here). Also, Germany banned Artgemeinschaft in September 2023, a far-right sect which was spreading Nazi ideology to children and young people.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine appeared during the Euromaidan popular protests in late 2013 - early 2014, falsely presented by pro-Kremlin disinformation as a coup. The Kremlin has since been using this myth to discredit Ukraine’s shift towards Euro-Atlantic policy.
Read similar disinformation cases claiming that Europe is tempted to support Neo-Nazi movements, Anglo-Saxons turn Europe into the 4th Reich, and Russia is fighting the Nazi International.