DISINFO: German tanks arrive in Ukraine with neo-Nazi symbols
SUMMARY
A train carrying tanks was filmed in Mannheim, Germany, on its way to Ukraine via Poland. On one of the tank wagons you can see the neo-Nazis' favourite number: 14/88. These numbers refer to the 88 laws written by David Lane and the content of the '14 words'. They are also used s a veiled celebration of Adolf Hitler and thus to identify each other, as the "H" is the 8th letter of the German alphabet, thus 88 = HH, which means "Heil Hitler". This reference is also often found in the names of various neo-Nazi bands (e.g. Division 88).
RESPONSE
This is part of pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about international support for Ukraine. The claim targets the delivery of German tanks Leopard 2 to Ukraine, and is attempting to falsely portray the Kyiv government as a "Nazi regime".
The original picture comes from a video made in Mannheim, Germany, published on March 2022. The video shows a train loaded with tanks, but there is no Nazi or any other signs painted on them. Thus the picture was taken out of context and manipulated to support the Kremlin’s narrative about the invasion of Ukraine.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the 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. The accusation of Nazism and building a link to Nazi Germany is one of the favourite techniques of pro-Kremlin outlets. Read our past analysis Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest.
Learn more about the reasons behind the Kremlin's obsession with framing Ukraine as a Nazi state in the EUvsDisinfo analysis titled "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".