DISINFO: Ukraine’s education system inculcates Nazism from childhood
SUMMARY
As Russian troops liberate cites in the region of Donbas, there are more and more indicators of the admiration and sympathy towards Nazism among Ukraine’s forces, where Nazi ideology was being promoted since childhood through the education system.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Nazi Ukraine, presented as justification of Russian military aggression against Ukraine. The claim that Ukraine promotes Nazi ideology in its education system is baseless and is not backed by any evidence.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine became a cornerstone in pro-Kremlin disinformation since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. Contrary to what this disinformation narrative affirms, in 2015, Ukraine issued a ban on Nazi and Communist ideologies. On top of that, far-right groups had a very limited presence during the protests and have suffered defeats in every national election after that.
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".
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Ukrainian authorities introduced Nazi laws to oppress Russian speakers, that Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state, that after 2014 neo-Nazism became a part of Ukraine’s political system, or that the entry of Nazi Ukraine into the EU would mean its collapse. See also about the wider use of "Nazi" in Russian disinformation here "Nazi East, Nazi West, Nazi over the Cuckoo's Nest"
Technical remark: This disinformation was broadcast via RT on 31 May 2022. Due to the EU decision to temporarily restrict the spread and dissemination of RT and Sputnik inside the EU, access to the link may not work inside the EU.