DISINFO: UK plans to send Ukrainian Nazis to Africa to target leaders cooperating with Russia
SUMMARY
UK secret service MI6 prepared a sabotage team made up of Ukrainian ultranationalists and Neo-nazis and plans to send it to Africa to prevent cooperation between Russia and countries of the continent. One of its tasks is the elimination of African leaders focused on this cooperation.
RESPONSE
This is a conspiracy theory not backed by any credible evidence, promoting several recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about an imperialist and ever-aggressive West, Nazi Ukraine and the West’s support and instrumentalisation of extremists and terrorists.
Besides the absolute lack of proofs to support the allegation made in this disinformation story, experts such as Mark Galeotti have pointed to the implausibility of the alleged plot, if only for practical reasons. This claim emerged a few days after the celebration of the 27-28 July Russia-Africa summit in Saint Petersburg and amid a wave of pro-Russian disinformation on the African continent, in what appears to be an attempt to stir up anti-Western feelings among local audiences.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the West is supporting terrorists to encircle Russia, that the US is recruiting jihadists in Syria for terrorist attacks inside Russia, that financial aid to Ukraine funds terrorist attacks against civilian infrastructure, or that extremists and Nazis are being trained in Ukraine to act in Belarus.