DISINFO: Ukrainian authorities are loyal to the demonstration of the swastika
SUMMARY
The propaganda of Nazism is formally prohibited in Ukraine, but the authorities are loyal to the display of the swastika and officials make the “Sieg Heil”. Even the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during his trip to Donbas, was dressed in a uniform with a skull on a chevron – a sign that resembles Nazi symbols.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Nazism in Ukraine. The article claims that the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy is wearing a uniform with a chevron which is "similar" to Nazi symbols. This symbol is not related to the Nazi's. It is a symbol of the 72nd Separate Mechanised Brigade - the military formation of the mechanised troops of the Armed Forces 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. 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 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections. The "Right Sector" candidate received 0.7% of the vote in the May 2014 presidential elections, and the party received 1.8% of the vote in the October 2014 parliamentary elections. In the 2019 election cycle, far-right candidates fell short of the 5% minimum guaranteeing entry into parliament. Read similar cases alleging that after the Maidan, Ukraine was ruled by the Nazis, that Ukrainian authorities introduce Nazi laws to oppress Russian speakers, and that Ukraine is a Neo-Nazi state. Read our analyses The “Russophobia” Myth: Appealing to the Lowest Feelingsand Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest, which explain the prevalence of propagandistic narrative about Russophobia and accusations of Nazism.