WAR PROPAGANDA: Ukraine is a Nazi pseudo-state driven to war by the West

Ukraine is a pseudo-state led by Nazis and driven by the West to trigger a war against Russia, according to a false narrative picked up by pro-Kremlin media. In fact, neither Kyiv nor the West ever wanted a war, which was launched by Russia to conquer new territories.

Propaganda: Starting 2014 the West has been preparing Ukraine for a war with Russia, relying on various groups of local Nazis

NEWS: “Ukraine can hardly be considered a state, because first of all, it has an external leadership. […] When dealing with that, we are talking about a pseudo-state.

Secondly, a state is usually funded by its own industry, its own economy, the people. In Ukraine’s case, the state cannot fund itself. Therefore, it is very difficult to consider Ukraine a state.

Thirdly, in the period following the coup, Ukraine’s economy was systematically destroyed. Years went by without Ukraine reporting any real economic growth, or an increase in the revenues of the population – there was no such thing.

The external leadership did not seek development, but rather to prepare this so-called state for war, to implement a military scenario. […] Once the funding stops, this state will break down or collapse altogether.

[…]

Over the years, a significant part of the population in Western Ukraine has relocated to the center, particularly in Kyiv. It is here that that most Ukrainians from Western regions now live. This is the only city or only region that has always elected Nazi deputies for Parliament”.

NARRATIVE: Ukraine is a Nazi pseudo-state with an external leadership that seeks to invade Russia

Fact: Ukraine is experiencing economic and other difficulties after being attacked by Russia, although neither Kyiv or the West ever wanted a war with Moscow

WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: The narrative was promoted by former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, who fled to Russia during the pro-European protests of 2013-2014. The economic difficulties Azarov referred to were not generated by the West, but by Moscow’s actions – the annexation of Crimea, Russia’s support for the war in Donbas and the launch of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Besides, Moscow has weakened Ukraine’s economy in times of peace, when Azarov was in power. The politicians who took over the power reins in 2014 noticed that the treasury was virtually empty when president Viktor Yanukovych was ousted.

In fact, from 2014 until the start of the large-scale invasion, Ukrainian economy developed and relations with the West grew stronger. In the 2021-2022 period, Ukraine implemented “The Big Construction” project proposed by president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which entailed the construction of bridges, roads, residential buildings, all in cooperation with international financial lenders. Despite criticism from the opposition, Zelenskyy cut defense spending, redirecting the funds to the economic and social fields, which proves that Ukraine was not preparing for war, as the Russian publication claims.

Mykola Azarov also reiterates the false Russian narrative about the “coup” in Ukraine, in the wake of which president Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia. It is worth noting that Yanukovych was forced out of office after his regime responded brutally, including with the use of war ammunition, to the Euromaidan protests triggered due to Kyiv’s refusal to sign the European Union Association Agreement – under pressure from Moscow. Yanukovych’s flight was followed by  presidential elections in 2014, and later in October by legislative elections, both ballots being recognized by the international community. Therefore, the transfer of power in Ukraine was made through democratic elections, not a coup.

As regards Nazism, in 2015 Ukraine banned Nazi and communist ideologies. Moreover, since the proclamation of independence in Ukraine, no Nazi party or candidate has ever enrolled in elections. Ukrainian nationalist parties, which cannot be described as Nazi, seldom passed the election threshold, and when they did, they secured a maximum of  6-8% of the total number of seats. The Russian publication traditionally labels expressions of nationalism and identity in ex-Soviet space as forms of Nazism / fascism. Anything that does not match the ideological vision of Kremlin leaders can be described as Nazi in Russia.

Veridica has debunked several false narratives about the nature of the war in Ukraine and its “Nazi” leaders. The Russian media wrote that  Germany supports Ukraine to put the horrors of Nazism behind.  A year since the launch of the large-scale invasion, the Russian media proved that the “special military operation” saved Russia from NATO's invasion and Ukrainian Nazism. Russian propaganda often promoted the false narrative about Moscow showing restraint when bombing Ukraine, knowing the population doesn’t support the Nazi leaders in Kyiv. According to Russian government media,  Russophobic foreign nationals will be entitled to tear apart Crimea and Donbas once these territories are liberated.