Information about this is spreading on social networks. The messages say that a man named Artem Bonov, who has a tattoo with Nazi symbols, is allegedly the deputy chief of the Kyiv police. A photo of a man with a swastika in the uniform of the police is attached to the fake posts. VoxCheck's photos show a real user, Artem Bonov, who maintains his Vkontakte page and YouTube channel. Bonov wrote that in the summer of 2014, he was a member of the Azov Volunteer Battalion and was then imprisoned on suspicion of killing a neighbor. Later, he was transferred to a psychiatric hospital in Lviv. However, this information is confirmed only by Bonov's own letters. However, Bonov does not hold the position of Deputy Chief of Police. His name is not among the Kyiv or Kyiv region police leadership. "In fake posts, photos of Artem Bonov in police uniform are added. This photo can be found on Bonov's Vkontakte page. The chevron on Bonov's hand belongs to those worn by Ukrainian police units that were subordinated to the Ministry of Internal Affairs until 2015. However, in 2015 the National Police of Ukraine was established. Since then, chevrons on police uniforms have also changed, ”the fact-checkers write.

It is alleged that the Russian Ministry of Defense received such information from captured Ukrainian soldiers. The report used a standard set of Russian propaganda: "Neo-Nazi" plan to fire on Russia's border area from a residential area of ​​the city, provoke a retaliatory strike, and then blow up containers with chemically hazardous substances. Journalists of foreign news agencies are in Sumy for photo and video shooting. And, of course, the goal is to accuse the Russian military of allegedly using chemical weapons and striking civilians who are not being evacuated but left in the city for "maximum resonance."

Such nonsensical Russians are throwing into the media to either intimidate people in the region where they announce the provocation or plan to commit a war crime and absolve themselves of responsibility.

The Security Service of Ukraine reminds us that the Russian military regularly shells peaceful Ukrainian cities, kills civilians, uses them as a "living shield," rapes women in the occupied territories, takes children to "filtration camps," and tortures men.

 Such a fake is spread by the Russian propaganda media. In particular, the publication RIA-news. "Soldiers of the composite regiment of the LNR Interior Ministry, who are serving in Cossack Lopan near Kharkiv, told RIA Novosti that alcohol and cigarettes are dropped from helicopters on Ukrainian military and nationalist positions, whose packages are stylized as food supplied to the German-Fascist troops. Some of these gifts have accidentally fallen on the positions of the Russian forces. The cigarette packages have swastikas and symbols of Nazi Germany on them," the propagandists write. As the fact checkers of the Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center project write, this interview begs the question why the Ukrainian military would risk helicopters at all in the Russian air defense zone (after all, Kozachya Lopan is a settlement right on the border with Russia), if there is a road to the AFU positions from Kharkiv. "Other than that, not a single photo was provided by the propagandists. Neither alcohol nor cigarettes. Also in Ukraine since 2015 there is a law "On the condemnation of the communist and national-socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols." According to it, the symbols of the National Socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regime are prohibited for use in Ukraine, including: symbols of the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (NSDAP), the national flag of Nazi Germany 1939-1945, the national emblem of Nazi Germany 1939-1945, the name of the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (NSDAP), images, inscriptions on events related to the National Socialist Workers' Party of Germany (NSDAP)," - write the fact checkers.  

Russian propagandists and various anonymous telegram channels spread information that Ida Novakowska, the spokeswoman for Eurovision from Poland, allegedly used a Nazi salute during the announcement of the evaluations by the Polish jury. In particular, information about Ida Novakovskaya's use of the so-called zig appeared on the channel of Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov. The Nazi salute in the Third Reich consisted of raising one's right hand and shouting "Long live Hitler!" (German: Heil Hitler!). The hand was raised at an angle of 45 degrees with the palm straightened: among the higher ranks - half-bent, ordinary and before the senior rank - fully straightened. However, Ida Novakovska did not use the Nazi salute, but raised her hand to show the V sign - Victoria, which symbolizes victory or peace, and shouted "Glory to Ukraine". The presenter also had a yellow and blue ribbon attached to her clothes, the permission to use which was previously agreed with the Eurovision spokesperson and spokespersons with the organizing committee of the contest. However, it is advantageous for Russian propagandists, and in particular Solovyov, to remind their audience once again that Ukrainians are Nazis, and that those countries that support Ukraine are Nazis.

Russian propaganda has taken the narrative about "European politicians with Nazi descendants" out of the closet and is actively promoting it on social networks, mostly in European languages. Recent publications referred only to the grandfather of Polish President Andrzej Duda Michal, who was supposedly a friend and associate of Stepan Bandera (which would prove the Nazi connections of Duda) - but it is a ridiculous fake: propagandists could not even find the real name of the Polish president's grandfather - in fact his name was Aloise.

Now the same fakes are spread about the grandfathers of three key German politicians - but German fact-checkers from the Correctiv project proved, that all these claims are false: the grandfather of Chancellor Olaf Scholz was not Fritz von Scholz, Wehrmacht General Gerhard Lindner is not the grandfather of Finance Minister Christian Lind Obergruppenführer SS Hartmann Lauterbacher is not the grandfather of Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. As the investigators write, the source of these fakes is a single person - "Putin's cook" Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose fictions were quoted by the press service of his company Concord.

All these fakes are part of a propaganda campaign against Ukraine and Europe to prove to Russians that the Russian army is liberating the world from Nazism.

The Russian and pro-Kremlin media have spread an old fake about Polish President Andrzej Duda, whose grandfather was allegedly Michail Duda, a friend of Stepan Banedra. These reports are, expectedly, accompanied by accusations of Nazism against the Polish leader. Mythdetector fact checkers reminded us, that Duda himself refuted this fake back in 2015. Then he said that his grandfather's name was Alojz Duda. He was a fur expert who died in 1992.

Russian propaganda media once again manipulated the topic of Victory Day, which was celebrated there yesterday, May 9. According to StopFake, Russian propaganda media have once again spread a series of manipulative materials saying that the Ukrainian authorities "finally banned people from celebrating May 9," and in some regions "deliberately" imposed a curfew because of "fear" that "many people will get. May to honor the feat of the Soviet soldiers who defeated fascism." Such reports add that the Ukrainian authorities allegedly "officially cancel Victory Day and drive people home." In fact, there were no mass events in 2022 due to Russia's large-scale invasion and heightened danger of missile attacks in Ukraine. However, we are not talking about "banning Victory Day." Previously, the thesis of the abolition of May 9 was dispersed by Russian propagandists. In particular, Vladimir Solovyov reported in his telegram channel that in Ukraine they decided to cancel May 9, and in confirmation of this fact he added that the Verkhovna Rada allegedly registered a bill according to which May 8 is Memorial and Victory over Nazism Day, and May 9 is a working day. Apparently, we are talking about the bill "On amendments to some laws of Ukraine on the commemoration of the victory over Nazism in World War II," which MPs registered on April 18. The bill indeed proposes to commemorate the Day of Remembrance of all victims of Nazism during the Second World War on May 8, and to celebrate Europe Day on May 9 together with other EU countries. In fact, Ukraine is not cancelling May 9. However, this time in Ukraine, as in the past few years, they did not celebrate Victory Day, choosing to celebrate May 8 - Memorial Day.

Pro-Kremlin media actively spread the opinion that the temporarily occupied cities of Ukraine are preparing to celebrate Victory Day openly for the first time in many years and that the St. George Ribbon is becoming increasingly popular among the local population, especially among children. A video circulated on social networks shows a Victory volunteer in Mariupol tying a St. George's ribbon to children's clothes and asking what it means. The girl replies: "It's beautiful" and says that she has never worn such ribbons before.

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmila Denisova reported that in Melitopol, temporarily occupied by Russian troops in Zaporizhzhia, children are forced to wear St. George ribbons and learn poems about the war. "From the media it became known that in the occupied Melitopol of Zaporozhye region forced children to wear St. George ribbons and learn poems about the war. Such actions are committed by school principals cooperating with the occupation troops," she stressed. According to Denisova, teachers distribute children's thematic drawings and videos of schoolchildren reciting poems about the war with St. George ribbons on their chests online. There is information that this is happening without parental consent. The ombudsman stressed that school is one of the means of educating a child, the formation of the worldview, which is continuously connected with the upbringing in the family. According to her, "this imposition of the racist ideology in educational institutions is aimed at destroying the Ukrainian identity in the minds of children". Denisova stressed that these actions of the Russian invaders are a violation of Article 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This document stipulates that the education of a child should be aimed at fostering respect for the child's parents, cultural identity, language and national values of the country in which the child resides, his country of origin. The above is direct evidence of genocide against the Ukrainian people.

According to the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, the "St. George's Ribbon" is an element of Russian propaganda. The formation of the symbol "St. George's Ribbon" has a long and complicated history. It first appeared on the Order of St. George, founded in 1769 by Empress Ekaterina II. The Order became the highest military award of the Russian Empire and was given to officers for special courage in battle. Later, a whole set of awards associated with St. George was formed: the Order, the medal, the cross and the flag. They were accompanied by the St. George ribbon, which, according to official statutes, consisted of three black and two yellow stripes. It was also allowed to use orange instead of yellow.

The most likely version is that the gamma of the ribbon was taken from the black-yellow-white flag of the Russian Empire. Another version is that the color symbolizes the fire and smoke, which emphasizes its military nature. Read more here.

In 2015, instead of the "St. George's Ribbon" as a symbol of remembrance of victory and honoring the victims of World War II, Ukrainians were suggested to use the red poppy flower. Striped black and yellow ribbon in the perception of Ukrainians became a negative symbol, which is associated with danger and terrorism. Since 2015. On May 8 and 9, Ukraine celebrates Memorial and Reconciliation Day and Victory Day over Nazism in World War II. The traditional slogan of these commemorative days "We Remember - We Win!" this year is somewhat modified at the state level and sounds like "We defeated the Nazis - let's defeat the Rashists too!.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Security Service of Ukraine was preparing provocations using chemical weapons. Another Russian fake is reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council in Telegram.

"The Russian Defense Ministry said that "according to available information, the SBU is planning chemical weapons provocations in a number of settlements in the Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk regions for further accusations from Russia. We warn you: this is a fake!", the report reads.

The Center specifies that the Russian Defense Ministry's statement that "on the instructions of the US and UK handlers, units of the AFU and the National Security Forces are setting up fortifications at the Luhansk chemical enterprises is yet another fake. At the same time, neo-Nazis were replacing chemical tanks to destroy them when leaving their positions.

This is not the first Russian lie about the use of chemical weapons by the Ukrainian security service. In April, the Russian Ministry of Defense already reported that "the SBU is planning chemical agent provocations near the Yuzhny port in Odessa to accuse Russia of allegedly targeting civilian infrastructure.

In March, Russia spread a fake that the SBU was allegedly "preparing, with the support of Western countries, a provocation using toxic substances against civilians."

Officially noted: The SBU cannot even in theory prepare any provocations with poisonous substances. Because we do not act by the methods of kafirs! Our task is to protect Ukraine. And we carry it out successfully together with all the people. And the invaders and kafirs will surely answer for their atrocities!", - stated in the SBU.

The Ukrainian service pointed out that theses about "SBU provocation" appeared in March after the Russians shelled a peaceful convoy near Mariupol and dropped a bomb on the building of the city drama theater, where hundreds of women and children were hiding. The SBU notes that such statements are only an attempt to distract attention from yet another war crime committed by the Russians.

This is the thesis spread by Russian propagandists, claiming that Carpathian Ukraine was "a small pro-Nazi state" and no one had heard of the Ukrainians of Transcarpathia before 1939. In Russia, the opinion "the Carpathian Sich was a Nazi Ukrainian organization" had spread before. In her study "Revision of History: Russian Historical Propaganda and Ukraine," Olena Sorotsynska analyzed this narrative of Russian historical propaganda: "Secrets" of Carpathian Ukraine: how the Nazi murtads built their 'state'", "In Ukraine another invented Ukrainian 'holiday of independence' is widely celebrated - the 80th anniversary of the proclamation of independence of Carpathian Ukraine" - these are some of the headlines of Russian media about Carpathian Ukraine. Some Russian media identify the OUN with Carpathian Ukraine and claim that this state is a product of the Abwehr. "On September 4, 1938, a meeting was held in Uzhgorod on the initiative of members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists at which the Ukrainian National Defense (UNO) was created. This was the Nazi center that later created the so-called Carpathian Ukraine," writes Novorossiya Information Agency. The occupation of Carpathian Ukraine by Hungarians is explained by the fact that Hungarians were more valuable allies for Hitler than the UUN, so he gave permission for Hungary to seize these territories. "The country of the victorious Euromaidan," which is known to have "no fascism," continues to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the pro-German Carpathian Ukraine declaration of independence," according to the Rus' Unity resource. This is meant to demonstrate "the gravitas of the Ukrainian fascist idea," which, they say, is flourishing today."

The electronic version of the publication is available at the link.

The Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance has prepared information materials about Carpathian Ukraine. Read more about Carpathian Ukraine.

This was reported in a telegram by the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andriushchenko.

"Today this photo went massively on Russian sub-publics, as if a trophy obtained in battle from the Ukrainian military. In fact, this medal is one of the exhibits of the Mariupol local history museum. Which was stolen the other day, along with paintings by Quindzhi and a unique library.

We are waiting for the appearance of "wheelbarrow", machine gun "Maxim" or German MP40 as a proof of Nazism in Mariupol. Feycomets are looters...", - he noted.

Russian Telegram channels have massively spread a photo of what seems to be Lviv schoolchildren lined up in a swastika on Hitler's birthday on April 20. In fact, the photo is not just of Lviv schoolchildren, not Lviv, not Ukraine, not 2022, and not even a swastika. This photo was taken on April 12 in Penza during a flash mob where local schoolchildren and young people lined up in two numbers 5 to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight into space. You can see it better here:

The thesis of this is dispersed by Russian propagandists. In particular, Vladimir Solovyov reports in his telegram channel that Ukraine has decided to abolish May 9, and in confirmation of this, he adds a document allegedly registered in the Verkhovna Rada. law, according to which May 8 is the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism, and May 9 is a working day. people's deputies registered April 18 the bill actually proposes to celebrate the Memorial Day of all victims of Nazism during World War II, May 8 and 9 with other EU countries to celebrate Europe Day, not yet adopted.

According to State Special Communications Service of Ukraine, for decades now, May 9 has been the focus of the new fascist ideology of the Russian state. It is safe to say that most of today's Russian national identity is based on the victory in World War II, which Russia attributes exclusively to itself. All ideas of Russian exceptionalism, "God-given right to rule" and Russian imperial superiority over other nations have been carefully constructed from the foundation of that same victory, turning what should be a celebration of life and peace into a macabre ritual. We don't want to be a part of it," the agency said.

Social networks and pro-Russian telegram channels spread a video in which the Azov regiment allegedly attacked a convoy of civilian vehicles with humanitarian aid in Mariupol. "No armored cars and tanks, these ghouls saw what convoy was being attacked!" Horrific footage of the Nazi massacre as proof of the crimes of the Nazi ghouls," the reports said.

According to StopFake, this video accusing Azov of attacking a humanitarian convoy was also published in some anonymous telegram channels masquerading as "pro-Ukrainian." In particular, we are talking about the "Sheptun" channel, the moderators of which, according to the Ukrainian Security Service, are employees of the Russian special services. "Claims that the Azov regiment attacked a humanitarian convoy are unfounded and false. This is confirmed by the video footage, which clearly shows - civilian vehicles were moved by Russian military," the fact checkers write. Recall that Russian propaganda calls Azov Nazis and constantly makes up fakes to discredit them and justify their crimes in Ukraine with the so-called fight against Nazis. For example, the Russian military destroyed a maternity hospital in Mariupol under the pretext that "Nazis from Azov" were stationed there. Read more.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in her speech tells how Ukrainians fought to make borshch an exclusively Ukrainian national dish and do not want to share it. In her opinion, this is "xenophobia, Nazism and extremism in all its manifestations. Probably it is a reaction to the official inclusion of borsch in the National List of Cultural Heritage of Ukraine back in 2020 and the corresponding application to UNESCO in 2021 to recognize borsch as Ukrainian at the international level. And it was Russia that repeatedly tried to call the achievements of Ukrainian culture Russian, and a year ago, the Russian media spread a fake that Google recognized borsch as a Russian dish..

Read more: "Already less than 25 million": Russian propaganda counts Ukrainians by the amount of bread consumed. Why is this manipulation?

Such a thesis was spread by former Russian President and Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev. The politician's statements about Ukraine were spread by a number of Russian propaganda media. Medvedev said that Ukraine had mentally turned into the Third Reich and once again accused Ukrainians of Nazism. In addition, he added that Ukrainianism is a fake that never existed in history and does not exist now. In fact, the thesis that Ukraine is a state that historically did not exist, and consequently Ukrainians do not exist either, is not new to Russian politicians and propaganda. Russia constantly speculates on our history, claiming that Ukraine is an inferior state that did not exist and has no right to exist, because it has no history, culture, etc., unlike the so-called "great Russian culture. Such theses are beneficial for Russian propaganda, because in this way Russia seems to justify its criminal military actions on the territory of Ukraine, claiming that, firstly, everything Ukrainian is a fake, and secondly, Ukrainians have turned into Nazis.

Information about this is spreading in pro-Russian telegram channels by re-posts from the channel of Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green from Georgia.

According to ZMIST fact-checkers, the congresswoman accused Ukraine of torturing civilians and Nazism. In her tweets, she refers to a selection of videos in which Troy and ordinary people punish looters by tying them to poles and beating their asses. "The selection itself was presented by a propaganda account, which repeats Russian propaganda word for word and does not provide context for the video. Marjorie Taylor reiterates Russia's propaganda and demands an end to Ukraine's support. But it should be noted that Taylor has repeatedly made contradictory statements, publicly supported the most bizarre conspiracy theories, called for weapons to stop vaccinations against coronavirus - all to attack Democrats and President Biden, so do not trust her words," - said in a statement.

This information is spread by Russian propagandists, who claim that the well-known pacifist slogan "No War" is, in fact, "Nazi". In particular, such a statement was made by "expert on strategic communications" Trofim Tatarenkov.

According to the Center for Combating Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, he claimed that this slogan "echoes" the slogan on Nazi leaflets thrown in besieged Leningrad, and the Ossetian slogan always sounded like "We are for peace" and "No war" is that propagated by the Nazis. However, this is not true. According to the Center, the content of Soviet-era anti-war propaganda posters was based mainly on the slogan "No War." However, they were against the "wars of aggression of the US imperialists."

Russian propagandists are spreading a fake that Time journalist Brent Reno, who was killed in Irpen, worked for US intelligence and has experience participating in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Brent Reno worked on the TIME Studios project on the global refugee crisis. He came to Irpen to film reports on the city's evacuation and to photograph the aftermath of the Russian shelling.

Despite the confirmed circumstances of the shelling of journalists, Russia is lying that the American journalist was allegedly killed by "Ukrainian Nazis". Serhiy Leshchenko, an adviser to the head of the President's Office, said, that Russian propaganda was questioning Renault's status as an American journalist to reduce the tragedy and lie to Ukraine. The Center for Combating Disinformation added, that this case demonstrates that Russia is doing everything possible to prevent journalists from recording war crimes against the Ukrainian population.

Such information in the media is disseminated by Kremlin propaganda. For example, such reports say that leaflets calling for the "expulsion of Ukrainian Nazis" are distributed in Poland. According to StopFake, pro-Kremlin propaganda has been using the same illustration with the same appeal since 2016, which only confirms the systematic and purposeful approach to inciting hostility towards Ukrainian citizens.

"Agitprop assures that anti-Ukrainian leaflets are being pasted in Poland. However, the same illustration propagandists try to pass off as such "leaflets" is repeated in all reports. The message is mostly spread in anonymous groups Telegram, the Russian social network "VKontakte". The fact that these actions are planned is evidenced by the fact that dozens of profiles of seemingly ordinary users and groups publish messages of the same content. At the same time, some of the users who spread it, according to their information about themselves, are related to the Russian armed forces," the fact-checkers note.

Read more

The Chinese edition of the Global Times published an "investigative material" accusing the Ukrainian Azov Battalion (which later became a regiment) of "neo-Nazism" and the US government of financing radicals. According to StopFake, in this way, they want to demonize Azov, and this allows Russia and its apologists to fan the myth of the alleged rise of radical right-wing sentiment in Ukrainian society.

Read more

Such a statement by the speaker of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zakharova is quoted by pro-Russian telegram channels. However, this is manipulation because even at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Russian authorities called it a process of so-called denazification and demilitarization, and the current leaders of Ukraine — a bunch of Nazis.

In particular, subscribers of one of such channels (“Сплетница”/the Gossip Girl) ask: "if Ukraine does not declare war on Russia, does it recognize that it is only a special operation to clean the country from the Nazis?"".

In fact, it is a manipulation. Ukraine imposed martial law and recognized Russia's aggression against Ukraine as a real war since February 24, the first day of Russia's full-scale invasion. This way, using manipulations, the aggressor seeks to shake up the situation and reduce Ukrainians’ confidence in their government.

Such reports say that only battalions of Ukrainian Nazis are fiercely opposed. However, this is another fake, because according to official data, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fighting the enemy at all locations. Official information about this can be found on the website of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense.