DISINFO: Ukraine army uses Nazi symbols on Western armed vehicles
SUMMARY
While fleeing the village of Lastochkino in the east of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Armed Forces left Western-made arms and wheeled vehicles with Nazi symbols.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative accusing Ukraine of Nazism and war crimes. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
There is no evidence that the Ukrainian Armed Forces use Nazi symbols. Nazi and Communist ideologies were banned by Ukrainian law in 2015.
Russia resorts to such disinformation messages to justify its aggression against Ukraine. The myth of “Nazi Ukraine” has been widely used by Putin and pro-Kremlin outlets since Russia attacked Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. It was used back then to denigrate Ukraine, discredit the pro-European popular uprising (Euromaidan) in Kyiv, and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy.
Ukraine is defending itself against Russian full-scale aggression. This is in line with the UN Charter, article 51 on self-defence. Ukraine’s partners assist it with military and financial support to help it repel Russia's unjustified and unprovoked aggression and restore its sovereignty within its internationally recognised borders of 1991.
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