FACT CHECK: Is This Alleged Neo-Nazi The Deputy Commander Of The Kyiv Police? | Check Your Fact
Verdict: False
There is no evidence Bonov is the deputy commander of the Kyiv police.
Category Nazism
Cross on Ukrainian president Zelenskyy’s shirt a symbol of the Ukraine defence ministry, not the Nazi Iron Cross – Africa Check
The photos of Zelenskyy are authentic and were taken during a video conference with the US Congress on 17 March. But the cross on his T-shirt is not the Iron Cross. It is the symbol of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and appears on the ministry's website.
Zelenskyy’s shirt bears emblem of Ukraine armed forces, not Nazi cross
An Iron Cross visible on some of Zelenskyy's military green T-shirts is not a Nazi symbol. It represents the official emblem of Ukraine's armed forces and includes the country's coat of arms in the center.
The Iron Cross is a commonly used, famous German military medal. It's not a hate symbol on its own. It was turned into a Nazi symbol when the regime superimposed a swastika in the center.
Our ruling
Social media posts claim that a Nazi symbol can be seen on Zelenskyy's T-shirts.
This is wrong. The symbol visible on Zelenskyy's shirt is the official emblem of Ukraine's military and doesn't represent a Nazi Iron Cross.
We rate the claim False.
Zelensky hit by false claim about ‘Nazi T-shirt’ after US Congress meeting
Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's virtual meeting with US Congress, social media posts shared hundreds of times claimed he was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with a "Nazi symbol". In fact, the symbol represents the Ukrainian military, according to an image comparison. A representative for the Ukrainian embassy in Thailand said it did not relate to Nazism.
Photos of Nazi symbols in Ukraine are shared out of context – Truth or Fake
Several videos and photos are circulating online, lending credibility to Russian claims of a serious neo-Nazi problem in Ukraine. The problem here though is that the images and videos are a distortion of reality and, in some cases, completely fictional. We take a closer look in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Altered photo shows Ukrainian president holding jersey with swastika
Social media posts feature a picture of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holding a soccer jersey that has a swastika in place of a number. But AFP found that the posts used a digitally manipulated image superimposing the Nazi symbol on a photo taken from the leader's Instagram account.
Vladimir Putin’s false war claims
Putin claims:
“Does Ukraine need to be denazified” - false,
“Is Russia’s attack a defense case under the UN Charter?” - false,
“Was there a ‘genocide” in Ukraine?” - false.
Russia has so far failed to provide any evidence in their claims.
Fake: Flag with Nazi Swastika in Ukraine
On September 20, the official Twitter account of the Permanent Mission of Russia in Geneva published a photo entitled "Modern Ukraine. Human Rights on the Upgrade", showing a building with Ukrainian and Nazi flags.
However, this photo has been "wandering" around the Network under different titles for a long time. Let us recall that it was taken during the shooting of a movie in Kharkiv in 2011.