Internet

In Sozialen Medien kursieren irreführende Meldungen über angebliche Anschläge auf russischstämmige Menschen in Deutschland. Fachleute warnen vor gezielter Desinformation, um die Stimmung anzuheizen. “Rassenhass in Hittfeld bei Hamburg – Unbekannte Faschisten zerstören KVG Busse, weil der Verantwortliche russische Wurzeln hat” – das behauptet ein Nutzer auf Facebook. (…) Auch in Messenger-Diensten und bei weiteren Facebook-Profilen taucht die Behauptung auf, die Busse seien aus antirussischen Motiven beschädigt worden. Allein auf dem Telegram-Kanal einer anonymen Nachrichtenseite erreichte ein entsprechendes Video in wenigen Tagen etwa 380.000 Aufrufe. Aber was hat es mit den Meldungen auf sich? Tatsächlich hat es in Hittfeld im Norden Niedersachsens schweren Vandalismus an Bussen des Unternehmens KVG Stade GmbH & Co. KG gegeben. Das regionale Verkehrsunternehmen war Ende Februar Ziel von Unbekannten geworden.Allerdings gibt es keinen einzigen Hinweis auf einen politischen Hintergrund. Das teilte die Polizei in Buchholz auf Anfrage von tagesschau.de mit. Das Unternehmen selbst betonte auf Anfrage ebenfalls, solche Berichte seien frei erfunden. “Die Behauptung irritiert uns, da sie jeder Grundlage entbehrt”, so ein Sprecher des Unternehmens auf Anfrage von tagesschau.de. Die KVG befinde sich im Besitz des Verkehrsbetriebs Osthannover sowie den Eisenbahnen und Verkehrsbetrieben Elbe-Weser. “Auch bei unseren Geschäftsführern gibt es keinen ‘russischstämmigen’ Hintergrund.”Weitere unbelegte BehauptungenDie Falschmeldungen über den angeblich antirussischen Anschlag im Norden Niedersachsens werden maßgeblich von Profilen verbreitet, die zahlreiche ähnliche Inhalte teilen. Bei vielen Videos und Fotos ist vollkommen unklar, wo und wann diese aufgenommen wurden sowie was dort genau zu sehen ist. Dennoch werden sie als Beleg für eine angeblich extrem aggressive Stimmung gegen russischsprachige Menschen angeführt.Zwei in diesem Kontext besonders aktive Profile sind nach eigenen Angaben auf der Krim bzw. den Separatistengebieten in der Ostukraine vor Ort. Sie teilen russische Propaganda, wie beispielsweise die Nachricht, der ukrainische Präsident wolle angeblich einen vorbestraften Neonazi zum Chef des Geheimdienstes machen.

via tagesschau: Anfeindungen gegen Russen – Stimmungsmache mit angeblichem Anschlag

Counterterrorism officials are paying attention to the increased risks posed by volunteers from around the globe who are making their way to Ukraine. Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to later call on all “citizens of the world” to join the fight against the Russian army and help defend “peaceful coexistence.” Thousands appear to be taking up the cause, including dozens of Americans and Canadians. But among the well-meaning citizens lining up to fight for Ukraine are some global volunteers with links to white supremacist and far-right extremism. In recent years, global neo-Nazi and white supremacist extremist foreign fighters have sought training and combat experience by joining ultranationalist defense militias in Ukraine. A member of the U.S. neo-Nazi group The Base, an ex-Marine, joined the Ukrainian war effort in 2020 before he was expelled from the country. (…) Even among foreign fighters traveling to Ukraine, the vast majority have no ties to white supremacist extremism. And even within the far right, motivations for joining a foreign conflict vary. Previous research on extremist right-wing foreign fighters has found that some are “war junkies” and adventurers or joined because they sought career changes as fighters in a new country. But the conflict has clearly created an opportunity for extremists to recruit white supremacist foreign fighters who seek training and networks or seek to intensify their engagement to the cause in other ways. Far-right militia leaders in Europe have responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by raising funds online, recruiting fighters and planning travel to the front lines, activities the SITE Intelligence Group has described as an “outpouring of support for Ukraine” from “numerous far-right white nationalist and neo-Nazis groups” across Europe and North America.

via msnbc: Fighting Russia in Ukraine sadly appeals to racist, far-right extremists

A RUSSIAN warlord who led the Neo-Nazi Sparta Battalion has been shot dead in Ukraine in another major blow for Vladimir Putin’s stalled invasion. Vladimir Zhoga was killed during battle in the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha on Saturday. Vladimir Zhoga was shot dead by Ukrainian troops on SaturdayCredit: Not known, clear with picture desk. Denis Pushilin, who heads the breakaway Ukrainian territory of Donetsk, confirmed the kill on his Telegram channel. “Today, the commander of the Sparta separate reconnaissance battalion, Guards Col. Vladimir Zhoga (nom de guerre Vokha), died like a hero in Volnovakha,” he wrote. According to Pushilin, the commander was killed during an operation to evacuate civilians from Volnovakha – one of cities where Russian troops violated a ceasefire agreement on Saturday. Zhoga joined Russian-backed rebels in 2014 – the same year in which the Sparta Battalion, a Neo-Nazi militia that has the support of Moscow, was created. The group is behind a wave of deadly attacks against Ukrainian troops and has been waging war in the Donbass region since hostilities broke out eight years ago. (…) Ukrainian soldiers fought off a Spetsnaz special forces air assault there — and his loss could explain why Russian forces failed to secure the airfield as well as why the assault on Kyiv had stalled.

via irish sun: GUNNED DOWN Russian warlord who led Neo-Nazi ‘Sparta’ battalion shot dead in Ukraine in fresh blow to Putin’s stalled invasion

siehe auch: DPR leader says one of military commanders killed in Volnovakha (TASS). The DPR leader said he had signed a decree to posthumously award Zhoga the title of the hero of DPR. Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said Vladimir Zhoga, the commander of the Sparta battalion, was killed in battle in the town of Volnovakha on Saturday. “Today, the commander of the Sparta separate reconnaissance battalion, Guards Col. Vladimir Zhoga (nom de guerre Vokha), died like a hero in Volnovakha,” Pushilin wrote in his Telegram channel.