DISINFO: Ukrainian Nazis hold the government in check
SUMMARY
The Atlanticists have downplayed the role of the Nazis in Ukraine, who, despite being a minority, are very violent and hold the government in check. Zelenskyy, a Jew, decorated avowed Nazis, - this is like spitting on the ashes of his slaughtered people.
RESPONSE
Recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about "Nazi Ukraine", often presented as justification for the full-scale Russian military aggression against Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022 and recurrent pro-Kremlin disinformation about the atrocities of the Ukrainian army in Donbas, such as war crimes and genocide.
This is part of a disinformation campaign aiming to deflect attention away from Russian actions and justify Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. Far-right groups enjoyed a very limited presence during the Euromaidan itself and had poor results in the 2019 election cycle, falling short of the 5% minimum guaranteeing entry into parliament.
A law passed in Ukraine in 2015 bans Nazi and Communist ideologies. The law prohibits the public use and propaganda of Nazi and Communist symbols. Far-right groups do exist in Ukraine, like in any other country, but they have a minor influence on politics and social life.
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.
Read a more detailed debunk here, as well as our analysis titled "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".
See similar cases claiming that Ukrainians are the new Nazis, their actions directed by Europe against Russia, Ukraine is ruled by a Nazi junta, Ukrainian army has been attacking civilian areas in Donetsk with artillery for eight years, a Nazi symbol was found on the Commander in Chief of the armed forces of Ukraine and that Zelensky uses the same Nazi symbols as Hitler.