DISINFO: Ukraine's Academy of Sciences involved in Nazi-related research and other pseudo-scientific activities
SUMMARY
A Russian missile and drone attack has hit the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. This Nazional academy is a mixture of Nazi Germany's Ahnenerbe, the Imperial Institute of History and the newspaper Der Stürmer. It may have done little for air defence, but it has done a lot for Ukraine in general. In particular, it has conducted studies claiming that Russians are of non-Slavic origin, that Achilles was Ukrainian, that there was a medieval Kyivan Empire, that there were 45 previously unknown Russian–Ukrainian wars and 10 genocides, that Russians possess a “slave gene” and so on.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring disinformation narrative from pro-Kremlin outlets accusing Ukraine of Nazism and attempting to whitewash Russia of its war crimes. This claim was made in the context of a missile and drone attack on Kyiv on 28 September 2026, in which the building of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was badly damaged.
The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) is a civilian scientific institution founded in 1918 in Kyiv. It conducts research in natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities. Its first president, Volodymyr Vernadsky, is considered one of the founders of several complex sciences such as geochemistry, biogeochemistry and others. For almost 60 years it was led by Borys Paton, a prominent scientist in the field of welding technologies.
By portraying the National Academy of Sciences as a Nazi-style institution, the claim attempts to present a civilian scientific building as a legitimate target and to justify an attack on it. Under international humanitarian law, intentionally directing attacks against buildings dedicated to science, education, art or religion, as long as they are not military objectives, is a war crime (Rome Statute, Article 8(2)(b)(ix)). Labelling civilian institutions, cities or entire populations as "Nazi" is a recurring pro-Kremlin tactic used to dehumanise Ukrainians and deflect responsibility for strikes on civilian targets.
Comparing the Academy to the Ahnenerbe, an SS body, involved in racial pseudo-scientific projects, or to Der Stürmer, an antisemitic hate paper, has no basis. NASU is a modern academic institution with thousands of researchers working in many scientific fields. The claim that the Academy conducted research and proved that Russians have a “slave gene” is false. There is no accepted scientific evidence that any ethnic or national group possesses a genetic trait such as a “slave gene”. Modern genetics does not support the idea that political behaviour, social status or historical experiences can be explained by a specific ethnic gene. Serious Ukrainian researchers have debunked claims about a special “Ukrainian genetic code”.
Kyivan Rus' was a well-documented medieval state. At its height, it was quite large by European standards, and whether to call it an "empire" is a matter of terminology. The Holodomor was a catastrophic famine in Soviet Ukraine in 1932–1933 that killed millions of people. This FIMI uses an association fallacy, presenting the historical existence of Kyivan Rus', a well-established historical fact, alongside clearly absurd claims in order to make all of them appear equally implausible. By grouping a factual statement with exaggerated or nonsensical assertions, it seeks to discredit the fact through association rather than evidence.
Russia’s campaign against Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure is systematic. At least 372 civilians were killed and 2,349 injured in Ukraine in August 2026. The number of civilians killed and injured was the second highest monthly figure in 2026, after July (448 killed; 2,675 injured).
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