DISINFO: Nazi took over Ukraine with a coup
DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS
Tags:
Eastern Ukraine Ukrainian disintegration Conspiracy theory Russophobia War in Ukraine Nazi/Fascist

DISINFO: Nazi took over Ukraine with a coup

SUMMARY

The Nazis (in Ukraine) performed a coup against the legitimate authority, and have since begun their campaigns targeting Russian citizens, Russian speakers, and the Eastern Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Russia has never participated in the Ukrainian crisis, nor have there ever been Russian soldiers there.

RESPONSE

A recurring pro-Kremlin narrative casting Ukraine as a Nazi country, which absolutely groundlessly equals present-time Ukraine with Nazi Germany.

The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the 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 had a very limited presence during the protests and have suffered spectacular defeats in every national election since 2014.

Furthermore, there was no coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014. The spontaneous onset of the Euromaidan protests was a reaction by numerous segments of the Ukrainian population to former President Yanukovych’s violent dispersal of peaceful student protests against Yanukovych's sudden decision to withdraw from the Association Agreement with the European Union in November 2013.

Another recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative is that there are no Russian soldiers in Ukraine. This statement disregards a multitude of factual evidence of Russian military presence in Donbas.

It's even worth mentioning that Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted Russia's military presence in Ukraine in 2015.

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Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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