Disinfo: Ukrainian's national trident symbol recognised as an extremist symbol by British police

Summary

The UK Counter-Terrorism Police consider a tattoo with the image of the Ukrainian “Trident” a sign of belonging to an extremist group. Before becoming Ukraine’s official symbol, “trident” traditionally used to be a symbol of radical Ukrainian nationalism.

Disproof

Part of the Kremlin's ongoing narrative that Ukraine is a Nazi state. See similar cases such as Nazi took over Ukraine with a coup and the EU accepts a Kyiv government filled to the brim with Nazi's. This case is based on a guide, issued in June 2019, created for British police and used by the Prevent scheme (to combat radicalisation), to identify and understand symbols and organisations they may encounter. Among the symbols, the Ukrainian "tryzyb" appears as a tattoo in the guide under the heading "symbols commonly associated with white supremacy".

On 19th January 2020, the Ukrainian Embassy in the United Kingdom demanded that the country's coat of arms be removed from the guide and called for an official apology. The following day, the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Kyiv apologised for the British police’s decision to include the "tryzub" in the manual distributed to medical staff and teachers as part of anti-extremism briefings. After a meeting with civil servants of the Ukrainian Embassy to the UK, British police made the decision to remove the symbol in question from the manual.

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  • Reported in: Issue 183
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 19/01/2020
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: UK, Ukraine
  • Keywords: Ukraine, Terrorism
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Disinfo: Poland was an ally of Nazi Germany and had a role in the outbreak of WWII

The fact that they, in the European Parliament, are condemning the Russian view of Poland’s role at the beginning of World War II is logical. On September 19, 2019, the European Parliament passed a resolution on “the importance of European remembrance for the future of Europe ”, which blamed Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union for the outbreak of World War II.

This is the position of Poland, Romania, the Baltic states and many others. They want historical justice for themselves, as they see it because for 45 years they have been under the control of the Soviet Union and are now trying to punish Russia for the twentieth century.

This debate was motivated by the Russian President’s statements about World War II and Poland’s role in it. Putin mentioned that, shortly before the war broke out, Poland was with Nazi Germany. In 1938, Poland participated in the division of Czechoslovakia.

Jan 18, 2020
Disproof

This message is part of the Kremlin’s policy of historical revisionism and an attempt to erode the disastrous historical role of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact by stating that Poland was a Nazi ally, so it should blame itself.

Claims are not confirmed by any available historical documents. Before WWII, Poland had tense political relations with Nazi Germany, which expressed open territorial claims to Poland (revision of the status of the Free City of Danzig and control over the “Polish Corridor”). Despite intense political pressure from Hitler, Poland consistently refused to become a part of the Nazi block.

Disinfo: Claims about Russia’s interference into US elections are unfounded

US accusations of Moscow’s alleged interference in the internal affairs of other states is an illusion, as well as a “desire to wishful thinking” in order to get some kind of external adversary whose presence helps to solve domestic political issues.

Jan 18, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation denying Russian interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

Available evidence suggests that Russian meddling the 2016 US presidential poll - which was specifically aimed to damage Clinton's campaign and aid her opponent - did affect the outcome of the vote, particularly in three critical swing states where Trump's victory margins were the thinnest.

Disinfo: Euromaidan was a coup led by fascists

In 2014 (…) a coup happened in Ukraine with the participation of the Nazis, who were used to taking power into their own hands, and blaming Russia for all of Ukraine’s problems of Ukraine.

Jan 18, 2020
Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives painting the 2013-14 Ukrainian revolution as a coup d'etat, and Ukrainian politics as dominated by fascist/Nazi groups and ideology.

The Euromaidan was not a coup but a nationwide popular protest against the government's sudden announcement that it would not sign the EU Association Agreement. See the full debunk here.