Disinfo: Zelenskyy's regime is based on Nazism and hatred towards Russians

Summary

For seven years, all the power of the state propaganda of the Kyiv regime has been working to dehumanise the inhabitants of Donbas and all Russians in general.

The terrorist ideology of the Kyiv regime, which declares millions of people to be "swamp inhabitants", is reinforced every day by the terror of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and punishers against civilians in Donbas.

Under the external control of the Americans and the British, the Kyiv Gauleiter Zelensky will continue to dehumanise the residents of the controlled territory in order to turn them into tributaries of the “new Khazaria” - the transnational corporations and international organisations.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative portraying Ukrainian politics and society as dominated by Nazi/ Fascist ideology and hatred towards everything Russian. Linking some countries with Nazism is a widespread disinformation tactic used by pro-Kremlin outlets. Read more in our analysis "Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest".

Ukraine is not a Nazi state. The Ukrainian government does not cultivate hatred against the residents of Donbas or Russians. Ukraine continues to stress that Donbas is a part of Ukraine and that the residents of temporally occupied territories are citizens of Ukraine. There is no Russophobia in Ukraine.

Nazi and Communist ideologies were banned by Ukrainian law in 2015. Far-right groups had a very limited presence during the protests and went on to obtain abysmal results in the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections. During the 2019 election cycle, the far-right managed to sustain an even more tremendous failure; the highest-rated nationalist candidate, Ruslan Koshulynskyy, won 1.62% of the vote whereas Svoboda won 2.16% of the national vote, falling far short of the 5% minimum guaranteeing entry into parliament.

Furthermore, the myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been a 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.

Ukraine is not ruled by the Americans or British. It is an independent, sovereign country. The US and the UK respect Ukrainian sovereign rights. Zelenskyy is not a puppet, but a president elected in national elections in 2019 by the majority of Ukrainian citizens.

See similar disinformation cases alleging that Ukraine is ruled by Nazis and is directed against Russians: neo-Nazis were the cornerstone for the power shift in Ukraine; the far-right coup government in Kyiv emerged from the 2014 Maidan uprising; Ukraine has established an apartheid regime in relation to Russian speakers.

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 253
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 26/07/2021
  • Article language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Ukraine, Russia
  • Keywords: Ukrainian statehood, War in Ukraine, Russophobia, Anti-Russian, Nazi/Fascist, Volodymyr Zelensky, Donbas, Eastern Ukraine
see more

Disinfo: Russia has never used its energy supplies as a weapon

Despite attempts to politicise a project favourable to Europeans, the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will soon be operational. [...] Russia has never used its energy supplies as a weapon and will not do so in the future.

Disproof

Repeated pro-Kremlin disinformation related to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Despite what is stated in the disinformation claim, in the past, Russia used its energy resources multiple times as a weapon against other countries attempting them to coerce these countries to follow a pro-Kremlin line.

This case is part of the Kremlin's disinformation campaign about European energy policy and the discussion about the role of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Disinfo: US diplomats are involved in terrorist activities in Russia

The staff of the US Embassy in Russia is involved in much more obvious hostile actions than those attributed to Moscow in the fabricated case of the Vrbětice explosion. Recently, in the Tver region, an employee of the US Embassy was caught stealing a pointer at a train station.

The Czech politicians describe what happened in Vrbětice as an act of terrorism. This wording fits better with this incident with the American diplomat in Russia.

Disproof

This disinformation message promotes a narrative about the “aggressive” USA trying to destabilise “peaceful” Russia. This claim is aimed to cover the direct Russian involvement in the 2014 Vrbětice munitions depot explosion.

In July 2021, the Press Secretary of the Russian MFA Maria Zakharova claimed that an American diplomat working in Russia “stole a railroad sign” in the Tver region (putting under danger the movement of trains). The US embassy has not commented on the incident, which lacks substantial evidence and has mostly been reported on by pro-Kremlin outlets.

Disinfo: The US gave a greenlight to its subordinate to build Nord Stream 2

By concluding a deal with the Federal Republic of Germany on the "Nord Stream 2", the United States had the opportunity to retain the image of the world "observer", who, after many doubts, gave the green light to his subordinate [to build the gas pipeline]. It is as if [the US] said to [Germany]: may the devil be with you; complete the construction, but I will watch over you to ensure that everything is conducted as I said.

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation claim about German-American relations. Pro-Kremlin outlets often use the disinformation narrative about different countries being under the American thumb - see other examples here.

Germany is not dependent on the United States of America in terms of foreign policymaking. Germany and the US have close partner relations of two sovereign and independent countries.