DISINFO: Kyiv's Nazi practices will be discussed in the Biden-Putin meeting
SUMMARY
The Nazi practices of the Kyiv government in Ukraine will be put on the table at the Biden-Putin meeting in Geneva. This is manifested by the actions of the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy which decided to submit to the Parliament a draft law on the indigenous people of Ukraine which discriminates against Russian speaking people in Eastern Ukraine.
RESPONSE
A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative about the Nazis in 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. Far-right groups enjoyed a very limited presence during the Euromaidan itself.
Moreover, all manifestations of Nazism are banned in Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada, at its meeting on 9 April 2015, adopted the law “On the Condemnation of the Communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols”. The document recognises that communist and national socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine are criminal and prohibits the public use and propaganda of their symbols. The Nazi totalitarian regime at the legislative level is recognised in Ukraine as pursuing a policy of state terror.
The claim stems from the fact that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has recently submitted to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) a draft law, "On the indigenous peoples of Ukraine." Pro-Kremlin outlets have claimed that this bill divides all citizens into three categories: ethnic Ukrainians, indigenous peoples, and others. This is not true, because the bill is aimed at protecting three peoples who are indigenous to Crimea and who are threatened due to Russia's discriminatory policy in the illegally annexed Ukrainian peninsula. These ethnic communities are Crimean Tatars, Karaites and Krymchaks. This bill is not aimed against other ethnic groups who live in Ukraine and enjoy equal rights, regardless of their ethnic origin.
Read similar cases alleging that after Maidan, Ukraine was ruled by the Nazis, Ukrainian authorities introduce Nazi laws to oppress Russian speakers, and Ukraine is a Neo-Nazi state.