Ukraine debunks YouTube terror threat against Netherlands

The Azov Regiment, a squad of irregular, nationalist fighters in Ukraine, has debunked a YouTube clip threatening terrorist attacks if Dutch people vote No in a referendum on the EU-Ukraine trade treaty.

Andriy Diachenko, Azov’s deputy commander, said in a video statement on Tuesday (19 January) that they did not create the clip, adding that it was “laughable” because Azov is against EU integration.

“Azov members, as befits Ukrainian nationalists, have always perceived the idea of ​​Ukraine joining the European Union negatively, instead supporting the idea of a Baltic-Black Sea alternative union,” he said.

He added the clip uses replica AK47s instead of real ones.

The Ukrainian foreign ministry in Kiev also told the Dutch ambassador the clip is fake.

Kees Verhoeven i, a Dutch MP with the social-liberal D66 party, called for a government investigation into Russian attempts to influence the outcome of the vote.

The original clip was published on Monday on a previously unused YouTube account entitled “Patriot” in Ukrainian.

It shows balaclava-clad men with Azov insignia burn a Dutch flag.

Pro-Russian propaganda

Recalling the Paris terror attacks, one of the men says: “Dear Dutchmen, don't you dare go against Ukraine. It will end very badly for you.”

“We will find you everywhere. In a movie … in your bedroom, public transport. We have our guys in the Netherlands and they are ready to obey any order."

For Ukrainian journalists and civil society activists, the Patriot video bears the hallmarks of pro-Russian propaganda.

But it caused a stir in Dutch online circles. The popular news blog geenstijl.nl said that even if the clip is fake the risk of an attack by Ukrainian fighters is real.

Roman Sohn, a columnist for the Ukrainska Pravda website, told EUobserver: “The video is being used as a ‘foot in the door’ manoeuvre to start a public debate on Nazi fascists in Ukraine to disparage the integration aspirations of Ukrainians.”

“Russian propagandists are very effective,” he added.

“Even when people distrust the authenticity of their messages the messages still do harm because people subconsciously embrace the underlying emotional connotations.”

The Ukraine referendum, due on 6 April, comes after a petition organised by Dutch NGOs.

It’s non-binding and the EU-Ukraine treaty has already entered into force. But European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker recently warned that a No could “open the door to a big continental crisis”.

Fake stories

For its part, the Dutch government has said it will campaign for a Yes because the treaty is good for Dutch trade and for European security.

But it’s keeping the campaign low profile in the hope the turnout falls below the threshhold of 30 percent.

The EU foreign service, last year, created a small unit, East StratCom, to also debunk fake Russian stories.

It publishes a regular review called Disinformation Weekly. The latest trend, it says, is fake stories purportedly taken from Western media.

One story, shortly after New Year's Eve, said the BBC had reported that Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko i had been hospitalised after being found drunk under a Christmas tree. The BBC had never published such a report.