DISINFO: We have Nazis in Ukraine, not in Russia
SUMMARY
A television link-up was planned between viewers in Minsk (sic) and Moscow, which caused an absolute phenomenal wave of panic in Ukraine, since it is unthinkable to allow Ukrainians to talk with Russians, simple people, to find out that they have a lot of things in common. They have the same roots and talk about the same things. Except that in Russia it is much better than in Ukraine. In Russia, there is no Hitler, and in Ukraine there are Neo-Nazis.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin narrative on Russophobia and Nazism in Ukraine that have been repeated since the outbreak of the Euromaidan pro-democratic and anti-corruption protests. The link-up between TV channels in Moscow and Kiev (not Minsk) was indeed planned and then cancelled by the Ukrainian channel because of the negative reaction of the civil society and the authorities. The program was broadcast on Russian Channel 1 (its broadcasting is banned in Ukraine by law since 2014). In the program, artists and directors from Moscow talked about how they love Ukraine and how they suffer from the fact that they cannot go there. The words "Crimea" or "Donbas" were not mentioned at all during 2 hour-long program. There are no Nazis in Ukraine’s government or parliament. Moreover, all manifestations of Nazism are banned in Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada, at its meeting on 9 April 2015, adopted the law “On the Condemnation of the Communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols”. The document recognises that communist and national socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine are criminal and prohibits the public use and propaganda of their symbols. The Nazi totalitarian regime at legislative level is recognised in Ukraine as pursuing a policy of state terror.