Myth: Ukraine sympathized with Nazi Germany during World War II.
Fact: Ukraine, like many other countries under Soviet control, was forced into the conflict during World War II. While some small groups, such as the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), initially saw Nazi Germany as a potential ally against Soviet rule, they quickly turned against the Nazis when it became clear that Nazi occupation was just as brutal as Soviet repression. The majority of Ukrainians, including the vast majority of Jews, were victims of Nazi atrocities, with millions of Ukrainians, including civilians, being killed, starved, or sent to forced labor camps by the Nazis.
Furthermore, Russia had a significant number of its citizens who collaborated with the Nazis, including the infamous Russian Liberation Army (ROA), which fought alongside the Nazis. The estimated number of Russians who fought for Nazi Germany during World War II varies, but most estimates place it between 800,000 and 1,000,000. These individuals served in various capacities, including military units, police forces, and auxiliary roles. Additionally, before Hitler’s invasion of the USSR in 1941, the Nazi Germany and the USSR were officially allied under Molotov-Ribbentrop pact. For instance, Russian and German troops had mutual military parades, like the one that took place in the occupied Brest in 1939.
Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, which fought against Nazi Germany from the very start of the war, and Ukrainians fought alongside other Soviet republics in the Red Army to defeat Hitler’s regime. To claim that Ukraine as a whole sympathized with the Nazis is a distortion of history.