Category Nazism

No, Zelensky hasn’t bought Eagle’s Nest, it is still in ownership of Bavarian state

Russia's war against Ukraine is not only a military confrontation, but Moscow is also deliberately targetting the Ukrainian president with disinformation and narratives that seek to discredit him. In early February 2025, posts on social media falsely claimed that Volodymyr Zelensky had purchased a property known as the Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden in the southern German state of Bavaria. However, the site -- which was closely associated with the Nazis during World War II and is a popular tourist destination even today -- is still owned by the state authorities. Furthermore, the false claims seem to have originated from a Russian disinformation network.

Fake: Ukrposhta Presents a Stamp Sketch with the SS “Galicia” Veteran

This stamp does not exist. In a comment to StopFake, Ukrposhta denied this information. The list of issued stamps can be seen on the post office's official website, and the propaganda's made-up stamp with the SS "Galicia" veteran is not among them.

October 14, 2024
Coordinated disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Hatred and bigotry Misconceptions Nazism Russia Russian propaganda Ukraine

FACT CHECK: Viral X Post Of Boris Johnson Giving Raised Arm Salute Is Digitally Altered | Check Your Fact

A viral image shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, purports to show former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson giving a raised arm salute at a recent public event.

Verdict: False
The image is digitally altered. The image was originally shared to the platform by user @smak_media, who admitted it was photoshopped in a subsequent post.

October 14, 2024
AI-generated images Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Hatred and bigotry International community Methods Misconceptions Nazism UK

Fake: Ukrainian Refugees Beat Up Poles for Refusing to Shout “Nazi Slogans”

This statement is not true. The Warsaw police identified 13 people who engaged in the conflict shown in the video. None of them were Ukrainian citizens.

October 14, 2024
Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Hatred and bigotry International community Media taken out of context Methods Misconceptions Nazism Poland Ukraine

Does the Ukrainian Military Display a ‘Nazi Cross’ on Some Vehicles or Tanks? | Snopes.com

The cross at issue in the viral video is neither a modern-era German Iron Cross nor the simple cross used as an indicator by the Ukrainian army. It is true that variants similar to the cross in the viral video had been used by the Nazis in World War II.

This type of cross has a specific history in Ukraine, however, that predated its use in Nazi Germany. A guerrilla warfare campaign carried out by the Ukrainian National Army against the Red Army and other forces from 1919 to 1920 is known as the First Winter Campaign. [...] A "steel cross," as it is sometimes described in Ukraine, was the symbol of that Winter Campaign - the military award given for participation in these campaigns contained that equidistant cross.

In 2019, a Ukrainian military unit that has been fighting in the Donbas region of Ukraine since 2014 - the 28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade - was renamed "Knights of the First Winter Campaign." That Brigade's insignia, approved by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, presently contains this same cross. [...]

While one could debate the merits of using a symbol that has since become complicated by its use in other contexts, there is no reason to interpret such cross's use in Ukraine as a reference to Nazism.

Fake news about Kremlin critic Navalny aims to discredit him after his death

Since news broke on February 16, 2024 that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny had died while incarcerated in the Russian Arctic, there has been a resurgence of doctored images and fake news aiming to discredit Navalny and his family. We took a look at three of the most widely spread fake news items about Navalny. None of them are true.

DISINFO: Ukrainian security services turn children into terrorists like the Nazis did in WW2

Recurrent pro-Kremlin narrative about Nazi Ukraine.

The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has long been a cornerstone of pro-Kremlin disinformation efforts. This has already been widely debunked and addressed on EUvsDisinfo.

The claim that the Ukrainian security services turn children into terrorists is false. The Kremlin spreads fake content on the internet, claiming that teenagers in Russia receive calls for terrorism from Ukraine. The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) has warned about this.

Fact Check: Putin Defends Hitler’s Invasion of Poland in Carlson Interview

True.

Based on a Russian transcript of Vladimir Putin's interview with Tucker Carlson, Newsweek verified Putin said Adolf Hitler was "forced" to invade Poland, an inaccurate interpretation of the circumstances leading to World War II.

While translations do not use the word "forced" or "compelled", they broadly match its meaning.

FACT CHECK: Post Claims To Show Letter From Vladimir Putin | Check Your Fact

There is no evidence Putin released or wrote this letter

January 16, 2024
Antisemitism Disinformation Fact checks / debunkings Fascism Hatred and bigotry International community Misconceptions NATO Nazism Putin Russia USA

Posts falsely claim Ukraine issued stamps to honour Nazi figure from World War II

Canada's recognition in parliament of Canadian-Ukrainian World War II veteran Yaroslav Hunka, who fought on the side of the Nazis, sparked public outrage in September 2023. Pro-Russian social media accounts seized the moment, alleging that Ukraine had released a postage stamp to immortalise Hunka. But the claim is false: AFP Fact Check found that the barcode on the stamp belongs to another series of Ukrainian stamps. Ukraine's national postal service also confirmed the Hunka stamp does not exist.