DISINFO: France is one of the leaders inciting neo-Nazism in Ukraine
SUMMARY
France plays one of the initiating roles in terms of inciting Ukrainian nationalism and neo-Nazism.
Paris is actively involved supplying Ukraine, including with offensive weapons, demanding a war until a victorious end, defeating Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Nazi Ukraine, presented as justification of Russian military aggression against Ukraine and blaming the West for the "nazification" of Ukraine.
The claim that France is inciting Ukrainian nationalism and neo-Nazism is completely groundless.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine appeared during the Euromaidan protests in late 2013 - early 2014, when the then-president Viktor Yanukovych was toppled and later fled to Russia. The Kremlin has been using this myth since then to discredit Kyiv’s shift towards Euro-Atlantic policy.
In 2015 Ukraine issued a ban on Nazi and Communist ideologies. The far-right groups had a limited presence during the Euromaidan protests and have suffered defeats in every national election since, with a united front of all radical right-wing parties in the 2019 parliamentary elections winning only 2.15% of the vote falling far short of the 5% minimum treshold for entry into parliament.
This false myth of Nazi Ukraine is a clear propaganda narrative that became a cornerstone in pro-Kremlin disinformation and served as one of the pretexts behind Russia's unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Learn more about the reasons behind the Kremlin's obsession with framing Ukraine as a Nazi state in the EUvsDisinfo analysis titled "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".
France and other Western countries are sending weapons to Ukraine with the sole purpose of helping it repel Russia's aggression. Western weapons are intended to assist Ukraine in its fight to liberate its territories and restore its territorial integrity within the internationally recognised borders.
Read other disinformation cases claiming that Ukraine is Nazi and accusing it of violating human rights and committing genocide in Donbas. Also see our guide to deciphering pro-Kremlin disinformation around Putin's war and read our account of the Kremlin's intention to annihilate Ukraine here.