Disinfo: German tanks arrive in Ukraine with neo-Nazi symbols

Summary

A train carrying tanks was filmed in Mannheim, Germany, on its way to Ukraine via Poland. On one of the tank wagons you can see the neo-Nazis' favourite number: 14/88. These numbers refer to the 88 laws written by David Lane and the content of the '14 words'. They are also used s a veiled celebration of Adolf Hitler and thus to identify each other, as the "H" is the 8th letter of the German alphabet, thus 88 = HH, which means "Heil Hitler". This reference is also often found in the names of various neo-Nazi bands (e.g. Division 88).

Disproof

This is part of pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about international support for Ukraine. The claim targets the delivery of German tanks Leopard 2 to Ukraine, and is attempting to falsely portray the Kyiv government as a "Nazi regime".

The original picture comes from a video made in Mannheim, Germany, published on March 2022. The video shows a train loaded with tanks, but there is no Nazi or any other signs painted on them. Thus the picture was taken out of context and manipulated to support the Kremlin’s narrative about the invasion 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, 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. The accusation of Nazism and building a link to Nazi Germany is one of the favourite techniques of pro-Kremlin outlets. Read our past analysis Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest.

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".

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publication/media

oroszhirek.hu (Archived)
  • Reported in: Issue 330
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 28/02/2023
  • Article language(s) Hungarian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Germany
  • Keywords: Nazi/Fascist, Military, Invasion of Ukraine, Adolf Hitler
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Disinfo: The US wants to silence the situation about the Nord Stream investigation

After the publication of an article by US journalist Seymour Hersh highlighting that the US remotely detonated the explosives that blew the Nord Stream pipelines under president Biden’s orders, the US try to downplay the situation and defend their stance that Russian special services are involved in the sabotage, while not allowing Russia to take part in the investigation. The US Administration try to silence the situation.

Feb 27, 2023
Disproof

This is part of a wider pro-Kremlin disinformation campaign aiming to amplify and exploit Seymour Hersh’s controversial article accusing the US of blowing up the Nord Stream pipelines. The article can’t be considered an evidence of this: it is based on a single, unidentified anonymous source and published in Hersh’s personal blog, so no editorial team was involved in its preparation.

Some of its affirmations have been credibly debunked by journalists, experts and OSINT researchers, such as claims about NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg cooperating with the US since the Vietnam War (who was 15 at the time this war ended), the use of the M350 Alta ship (which had been out of use since 2012 and sent to the scrapyard in 2022), or that a P-8 aircraft of the Norwegian Navy was involved to detonate the explosives (none of Norway’s P-8 was remotely closer to the area of the explosions).

Disinfo: Romania is concentrating air defense systems to Moldova’s border

Romania pulls air defense systems to the border with Moldova. A video has been published on the Web that show that Romania is pulling together air defense systems near the border with Moldova.

Feb 27, 2023
Disproof

Pro-Kremlin disinfo narrative suggesting that Moldova is preparing for war against Russia, being instigated by Washington and NATO via Romania, a NATO member. The claim is based on a video spread via Telegram presenting military technical units circulating on the streets of an unnamed city.

The Romanian Ministry of Defense denied the information. In a statement published on its web page, the Ministry said this is an old video, from November 2022, recorded in Alba Iulia city, when Romanian militaries prepared to celebrate National Day – 1 December. „Falsely, with the obvious aim of inducing panic, the video material is presented, on February 27, 2023, as "the move of Romanian air defense systems to the border with the Republic of Moldova, this morning", the Ministry said.

Disinfo: The weapons sent to Ukraine end up in the hands of criminal groups in Sweden

The weapons sent to Ukraine end up in the hands of criminal groups in Sweden. Weapons smugglers from Gothenburg receive offers to buy weapons coming to Ukraine to be sold afterwards to gangs in the Nordic country, according to information in Swedish media.

Feb 27, 2023
Disproof

The claim is a disingenuous manipulation to promote a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative against supporting Ukraine. Although there is preliminary evidence showing that some small arms provided by Western countries may have been diverted by traffickers to criminal gangs in certain countries in northern Europe, this story deliberately distorts these cases, portraying them as much more widespread and dangerous than they actually are.

In October 2022, a top official at Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation, Detective Superintendent Christer Ahlgren, told the Finnish public broadcaster Yle that his office had received preliminary information that criminals in Finland might have captured military arms, such as assault rifles, meant for Ukrainian forces, and that weapons shipped to Ukraine had “also been found in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands”. Similar comments were made by the weapons smuggling expert at the Swedish Customs Office Jesper Liedholm to Sverige Radio in February 2023.