DISINFO: Neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv was formed as a result of the coup in 2014
SUMMARY
Russia's imperatives for a settlement in Ukraine are still relevant. Kyiv's non-accession to NATO ... is one of two foundations for a final settlement of the Ukrainian crisis that meets Russia's security interests. The second is overcoming the consequences of the neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv that was formed as a result of the February 2014 putsch, including its actions to legislatively and physically exterminate everything Russian - language, media, culture, traditions, canonical Orthodoxy.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv falsely portrayed as a coup d'état, about the allegedly Nazi regime in Kyiv and a recurring narrative about the war in Ukraine, portraying Ukraine as a Russophobic Nazi state which aims to eradicate anything Russian.
Labelling Russia’s adversaries as Nazis is a frequently used pro-Kremlin disinformation technique, and has been used by Russia to try to justify the invasion of Ukraine by portraying it as a “denazification operation”. Russia spent years preparing the information battleground before its full-scale invasion, with “Nazi Ukraine” being one of its most prominent disinformation features.
The myth of “Nazi Ukraine” has been widely used by Putin and pro-Kremlin outlets since Russia attacked Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. It is also being used to justify Russia’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine.
This myth of Nazi Ukraine is a clear propaganda narrative that became a cornerstone in pro-Kremlin disinformation. Learn more about the reasons behind the Kremlin's obsession with framing Ukraine as a Nazi state in the EUvsDisinfo analysis titled "Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest" and "Why does Putin portray himself as the tamer of neo-Nazism".
Ukraine is not a Nazi state. It is a democratic country with transparent parliamentary and presidential elections, a multi-party political system, and legal protections for ethnic minorities. While far-right groups exist in Ukraine, as they do in many countries, they hold no significant influence in society. Nazi and Communist ideologies were banned by Ukrainian law in 2015.
The claim about the "coup d'état" in Ukraine is one of the most common pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about Ukraine trying to undermine the legitimacy of Ukrainian authorities.
There was no coup in Ukraine in 2014. Pro-Kremlin outlets falsely portray the Euromaidan revolution as a coup d’état. The popular demonstrations began in Kyiv in November 2013, bringing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians onto the streets to protest against a political decision of Viktor Yanukovych’s government.
Read more on the topic here.
There is no evidence that either ethnic Russians or Russian speakers are facing persecution at the hands of the Ukrainian authorities, much less the danger of annihilation on grounds of nationality, ethnicity, or cultural belonging. This has been confirmed by reports issued by the Council of Europe, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the OSCE.
Read similar cases: Euromaidan ended with a coup d'état that removed Yanukovych from power; the US organised a coup d’état in Ukraine in 2014 to install a neo-Nazi regime hostile to Russia; the Revolution of Dignity 2014 in Ukraine was a pogrom conducted by NATO-backed Nazis; the US spent five billion dollars to overthrow Viktor Yanukovych; the special military operation aims to end the Nazi regime in Kyiv; Russia fights against Ukrainian neo-Nazis guilty of ethnic cleansing; European NATO members nurture Nazi Ukraine as an anti-Russian instrument; The West supports neo-Nazis in Ukraine; Russia does not crave Ukrainian lands but protects people from Nazis; Ukraine is a neo-Nazi Russophobic state.