Neo-Nazi, Artem Bonov, Is Not the Deputy Chief of Kyiv Police

Misbar's team investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The team thoroughly searched the list of employees on the Kyiv Police website, but Artem was not found. As can be seen below, Artem is not mentioned among the police chief and his deputies on the website.

The National Police of Ukraine also lists the management of the National Police's main directorate, but Artem is not included. This confirms that he has no ties to the Kyiv Police or the National Police. Furthermore, as seen below, it is illegal in Ukraine to wear Nazi symbols.

Following further investigation, Misbar's team found an article from 2014 claiming that Artem was a member of the Azov Battalion. The Battalion is a far-right, Neo-Nazi paramilitary group that was "officially integrated" into Ukraine's National Guard on November 12, 2014, to fight pro-Russian separatists. According to the article, a photo discovered by Anton Shekhovtsov, a renowned researcher of the far right in Eastern Europe, shows members of Ukraine's Azov Battalion of volunteers performing a Nazi salute in the headquarters of the Kyiv region police.

The photo was taken in November 2014, shortly after Vadym Troyan was hired as the head of police in Kyiv Oblast province. Troyan, who is accused Neo-Nazism, is also a Patriot and the deputy commander of the Azov Battalion. Based on this information, Artem is more likely to be a member of the Azov Battalion rather than a member of the National Police.