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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is there a neo-Nazi movement in Ukraine?

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

By Lisa Freedland

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YES

Neo-Nazi movements exist inside Ukraine, with the ultranationalist Azov Battalion being the most prominent among them. Created in 2014 to assist the Ukrainian army in its military conflict with Russia, the 900-member battalion, which has been formally integrated into Ukraine's armed forces, uses Nazi-era symbolism and recruits neo-Nazis into its membership.

The group was founded by white supremacist Andriy Biletsky, who stated Ukraine's mission was to "lead the white races in a final crusade...against Semite-led Untermenschen [inferior races]."

Ukrainian neo-Nazi movements are limited in scope and lack political power. In 2019, Ukraine's far-right bloc received 2.3% of the vote.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that the invasion of Ukraine was done in part to "denazify" Ukraine. Many remain doubtful of this, citing that numerous Ukrainian Jews have felt the need to take refuge or flee the country.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Al-Jazeera Profile: Who are Ukraine’s far-right Azov regiment?

Reuters Commentary: Ukraine’s neo-Nazi problem

Guardian Ukraine's National Militia: 'We're not neo-Nazis, we just want to make our country better'

Haaretz The Far Right Just Got Humiliated in Ukraine’s Election — but Don’t Write It Off Just Yet

NBC News Allan Ripp: Ukraine has a Nazi problem, but Vladimir Putin's 'denazification' claim for war is a lie.

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.