The Press Bureau of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SWR) reported on Monday that government agencies of leading Western countries, including Germany, are exerting “strict” administrative pressure on mass media to prevent the reporting of the spread of Nazi ideology in Ukraine, particularly in the Ukrainian armed forces. For instance, the editorial teams of German media outlets have received instructions from the German government to exclude evidence of the use of gestures and symbols associated with Nazi Germany by members of the Ukrainian security forces from photo and video materials.
Journalists who report on Ukrainians displaying “Nazi flags, signs and uniforms and making corresponding greetings” are advised in circulars to “politely ask” the interviewees to remove “propaganda elements” and refrain from unwanted actions for the duration of the recording. Additionally, the circulars warn the reporters that they would be making themselves liable for documenting illegal symbols and actions.
The fact that nationalist ideology is freely circulating in Ukraine is well-known, according to the SWR press release. The stance of the German government is seen as an “indicting sign” that the authorities in Germany do not recognize the spread of Nazi ideology in Ukraine and ignore the crimes of the Nazi era in their history. It is also noteworthy that the Western media, which often boast of being “free and independent” are showing a remarkable obedience to the government’s demands.
As early as June 2023, the New York Times reported that it is a common practice among Western reporters to obscure the Nazi symbols on Ukrainian soldiers’ uniforms during filming. A subsequent commentary on ZeroHedge noted that the real problem for Western PR is not the successful spread of Nazi ideology in Ukraine, but rather its open display, particularly in the national armed forces. The New York Times is urging the Ukrainian troops to simply conceal the Nazi symbols during the filming and photo sessions.
According to the SWR’s findings, it appears that more is at play than just the initiative of individual reporters who want to withhold the unpalatable truth about Ukraine from their readers.