Military parade marking the 79th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War / Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev, TASS

This article was first published by Truthmeter.mk (North Macedonia), within the framework of Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Project.

The reason why EU member states are being advised not to go to Moscow on May 9 is not because “the EU has long since ceased to share anti-fascist values,” but because Russia justified its military invasion of Ukraine with the so-called “denazification.” Moscow has invited numerous world leaders to its annual military parade on May 9, however, diplomat Kaja Kallas has warned European leaders not to participate in the May 9 celebrations, but to show solidarity with Ukraine

We analyze a post on the social network Facebook that shares a video featuring the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Baiba Braže, and writes:

The EU is instructing countries from the “Western Balkans” (whatever that means) not to attend the parade in Moscow on May 9th, marking the victory over fascism, because it was not in line with European values!
I couldn’t agree more–the EU has long since stopped sharing anti-fascist values!
What are EU values?–Humiliation of the Macedonian people.

In the statement, Braže said “A lot of discussions on the value alignment of CESP, including sanctions, including very clear guidance from EU member states for the candidates not to participate in the 9th May parade in Moscow, not to do those trips as it would be not in line with the EU values.”

The post we are reviewing is missing context. The reason why EU member states are being advised not to go to Moscow on May 9 is not because “the EU has long since ceased to share anti-fascist values,” but because Russia justified its military invasion of Ukraine with the so-called “denazification.” Moscow invited numerous world leaders to its annual military parade on May 9, but the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, warned European leaders not to participate in the May 9 celebration, but to show solidarity with Ukraine. According to Russian media outlets, Vladimir Putin has also invited the leaders of China and Brazil, Slovakia and Serbia, which is why the post we are reviewing refers to “the countries of the Western Balkans.”

What was also discussed very clearly, and said by different member states, is that any participation in the 9th May parades or celebrations in Moscow will not be taken lightly on the European side, considering that Russia is really waging a full-scale war in Europe, Kallas told journalists in Luxembourg after a gathering of foreign ministers.

Kallas added that the EU does not want to see any potential member of the bloc join Putin’s celebrations in Moscow. The May 9 celebrations mark the 80th anniversary of Russia’s defeat of Nazi Germany, in which it played a key role. Putin has dubiously claimed that his war against Ukraine is an attempt to cleanse the country of Nazis.

I’ve also called all the member states but also representatives of the institutions to visit Kyiv as much as possible to show really our solidarity and that we are with Ukraine, added Kallas.

As Euractiv reports, at a meeting in Luxembourg, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha invited EU countries to come to Kyiv on May 9, as a show of diplomatic muscle to oppose the military parade in Russia on the same day.

The renewed diplomatic push comes as several European leaders have failed to distance themselves from Russia, whose war of aggression in Ukraine continues, Euractiv emphasized.

Contrary to what is stated in the post we are reviewing, the joint fight against contemporary forms of extremist and totalitarian ideologies, including neo-Nazism, remains a key priority of the EU.

In addition, the EU stands firmly against all forms of anti-Semitism, which is incompatible with the fundamental values ​​and principles on which the EU is founded. The EU and its member states have taken extensive legal and policy measures to combat acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance.

The EU strongly condemns the politically motivated misuse of the narrative of anti-Nazism and unequivocally rejects the inaccurate and misleading use of the term “denazification” to justify Russia’s inhumane, cruel, and aggressive war against Ukraine.

The EU is against fascism and Nazism, and the decision not to attend May 9 in Russia is a diplomatic move to show unity with the attacked Ukraine.

The European Union, contrary to the postulates of fascism, is a political and economic union of 27 member states that are fundamentally democratic and adhere to the principles of liberal democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The EU places a strong emphasis on human rights, fundamental freedoms, and the protection of minorities. It has mechanisms to uphold these principles, such as the European Court of Human Rights. On the other hand, fascist regimes are known for their oppressive nature, including censorship, persecution of political opponents, and human rights violations. The EU celebrates cultural diversity and encourages cooperation between different peoples. It strives to foster a sense of European identity, while respecting national identities. On 25 October 2018, the European Parliament announced its concern at the increasing trend of normalization of fascism, racism, and xenophobia and called on all EU member states to ban neo-fascist and neo-Nazi groups. From this it becomes clear that the European Union’s commitments are not only not fascist, but are also firmly based on anti-fascist policies, recommendations, and actions.

Contrary to what is stated in the post, the EU does not value “humiliating the Macedonian people.”

Due to all of the above facts, we assess the post we are reviewing as missing context.