SVR: Berlin ordered the media to exclude evidence of the use of fascist symbols by the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The German authorities have instructed local media to exclude evidence of the use of fascist gestures and symbols by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). This was announced on March 17 by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR).

"The German media has been instructed by the federal government to exclude the appearance in photo and video materials of evidence of the use of gestures and symbols associated with Nazi Germany by military personnel of the security forces of Ukraine," the ministry said in a statement.

It is noted that when recording reports with the participation of the Ukrainian military, journalists are instructed to ask them to "remove propaganda elements and refrain from undesirable actions" during filming. At the same time, it is specified that representatives of the German media will bear responsibility, including criminal responsibility.

The SVR added that Germany is aware of the fact of the free spread of Nazi ideas in Ukraine. At the same time, the service stressed that the line of the German government indicates that the German authorities see nothing wrong with the Ukrainians' commitment to the symbols of the Third Reich. It is noted that they also ignore the crimes of the Nazi period of their history.

On March 16, the Israeli Foreign Ministry banned Izvestia journalist Nikita Kulyukhin from attending the weekly press conferences of Foreign Minister Gideon Saar. This happened due to the fact that on March 4, at an official event, a correspondent asked about the lack of condemnation by Israel of the glorification in Ukraine of accomplices of nationalists during the Holocaust. The minister replied that he had not known about it before the question was asked.

Timur Shafir, Secretary of the Union of Journalists of Russia and head of the International Department of the SOHR, told Izvestia that the Israeli Foreign Ministry needed to work to prevent the glorification of Nazi figures. In turn, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Izvestia that the situation with Kulyukhin's removal indicates Israel's unwillingness to know the truth about neo-Nazism in Ukraine.