The circulating brochures are fake. The organization Handbook Germany, on behalf of which this brochure was allegedly published, denied its existence. They also noted that such a fake was intended to offend Ukrainian citizens living in Germany, as well as to cause damage to the reputation of the organization.
The cross at issue in the viral video is neither a modern-era German Iron Cross nor the simple cross used as an indicator by the Ukrainian army. It is true that variants similar to the cross in the viral video had been used by the Nazis in World War II.
This type of cross has a specific history in Ukraine, however, that predated its use in Nazi Germany. A guerrilla warfare campaign carried out by the Ukrainian National Army against the Red Army and other forces from 1919 to 1920 is known as the First Winter Campaign. [...] A "steel cross," as it is sometimes described in Ukraine, was the symbol of that Winter Campaign - the military award given for participation in these campaigns contained that equidistant cross.
In 2019, a Ukrainian military unit that has been fighting in the Donbas region of Ukraine since 2014 - the 28th Mechanized Infantry Brigade - was renamed "Knights of the First Winter Campaign." That Brigade's insignia, approved by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, presently contains this same cross. [...]
While one could debate the merits of using a symbol that has since become complicated by its use in other contexts, there is no reason to interpret such cross's use in Ukraine as a reference to Nazism.
A photo shared on Facebook alleges German satirical magazine The Titanic depicted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with his pants down.
Verdict: False
The alleged cover cannot be found in an archive of Titanic Magazine's recent covers and cannot be found on any of its verified social media accounts.
Dutch researchers have revealed that coordinated networks of accounts spreading disinformation flooded social media in France, Germany and Italy before the elections to the European Parliament.
Poland, France and Germany adhere to international law regarding state borders, fully supports the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine. No state, except the Russian Federation, violated Ukraine's territorial integrity in a display of imperial, revisionist aggression.
The German Constitution does not restrict the state's right to deliver military aid to third countries, as long as such deliveries are approved by the federal government. The only constitutional provision which even remotely concerns this issue is Article 26 (1) on securing international peace.
€53 billion of the €138 billion (38.4%) were provided to Ukraine in the last three months, since December 2023, when the amount of EU support totaled €85 billion. This demonstrates that European support to Ukraine has been on an upward trajectory contrary to claims made by pro-Kremlin outlets.
On 4 March 2024, the German Ministry of Defence announced that it had launched an investigation into a conversation between several German high-ranking military officials who are said to have discussed a possible attack on the Crimea bridge. The ministry said that the conversation was recorded in the context of a training exercise and that it was not clear whether the generals were serious or whether they were just playing a game. The ministry also said that the officials had been suspended from duty and that the investigation would determine whether they had violated their duty of loyalty to the constitution. Their talk was not a formal one. It was just a discussion which did not decide anything.
The Ukrainian state is under attack by Russia. More than 50 countries are participating in the Ramstein meetings and are providing military, financial or other assistance to Ukraine to restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders. They do this rather than destroy the Russian state.
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives about EU disintegration and a looming economic collapse of western countries' economies. As our past analysis explains, the 'imminent collapse' narrative is often used in pro-Kremlin outlets in relation to the EU, European countries, or capitalism and the purpose it to erode public trust and confidence in society, thus weakening morale in Western societies.