DISINFO: Ukrainian fascism is directed by US fascism in foreign policy
SUMMARY
There is fascism in Ukraine. However it is not Ukrainian, but American fascism in foreign policy, which is carried out by the government of Ukraine which, in turn, is controlled by the United States (through, for instance, NABU [National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine]).
RESPONSE
This is a new take on an already well-known Russian disinformation narrative, attempting to portray Ukraine as a fascist, Nazi state.
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, 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.
Far-right groups enjoyed a very limited presence during the Euromaidan itself and had poor results in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections. In the 2019 election, far-right candidates fell short of the 5% minimum guaranteeing entry into parliament.
The US does not control Ukraine and does not attempt to direct Ukrainian policy in any way. The relations of Ukraine and the US are built on mutual respect for sovereign rights of each country.
NABU is not an instrument of foreign control. It is a state law enforcement agency that investigates corruption of public officials and prepares cases for prosecution. The bureau was created in 2014 after the National Anti-Corruption Committee did not fulfil its obligations. NABU is accountable to the Parliament of Ukraine through the law on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the law on prevention of corruption.
Read similar cases alleging that Ukraine is a neo-Nazi state and Ukraine is an anti-Russian state under Western control, that pro-Western civil society in Ukraine and Belarus is a fascist fifth column, that Ukraine is run by pro-EU oligarchic Nazis supported by the US, or that Europe supports the revival of fascism.