On August 21, lawyer Irakli Zakareishvili, a Facebook user who regularly spreads disinformation, posted a photo on his personal account in which he claims that Zaza Shonia, who is fighting on the side of Ukraine, is wearing a Nazi insignia.
The claim that the fighter depicted in the photo is wearing a Nazi insignia on his arm is false. In reality, the insignia shows a Roman eagle with the coat of arms of Ukraine placed in a ring below it. In his comment to Myth Detector, Zaza Shonia denied any connection of this symbol to Nazism or fascism.
Myth Detector has found a better-quality photo circulated by Zakareishvili that proves that there is no Nazi insignia on Zaza Shonia’s arm. In particular, the photo shows that the ring below the eagle shows the coat of arms of Ukraine, the so-called trident, and not the swastika.
The photo posted on the social network by Zaza Shonia clearly shows the coat of arms of Ukraine.
In addition, Myth Detector contacted Zaza Shonia who denied Zakareishvili’s allegations in a telephone conversation. The Georgian fighter explained that the insignia shows a Roman eagle holding with its claws a ring, in which the coat of arms of Ukraine is placed. Shonia stated that he, as well as this symbol, has nothing to do with Nazism or fascism. He also stressed that the said insignia can be purchased in many physical and online stores, which would not be possible if it were a Nazi Germany insignia, as the sale of Nazi symbols is punishable by the law in the country.
Zaza Shonia also provided us with a photograph of the symbol.
The photograph provided by Zaza Shonia to Myth Detector.
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History of the Roman eagle symbol
The use of the eagle as the main symbol of the Roman Empire dates back to B.C. times, as it was considered a symbol of power, foresight, and dominance. Over the centuries, the eagle symbol has been used by numerous political entities, which means that many versions of it have been created. One such entity was the Holy Roman Empire, which was created in 800 A.D. as a result of the coronation of Charles I, king of the Franks (Germanic people). In the 19th century, the newly formed German Empire also used a new version of the Roman eagle as its main symbol. As a result, many versions of this symbol have emerged, some of which differ from the Ukrainian symbol, while others are almost identical.
The Roman eagle, very similar to the Ukrainian symbol.
See the source here.
One of the versions of the Roman eagle.
The coat of arms of the Holy Roman Empire.
The coat of arms of the German Empire.
The coat of arms of Germany in 1928-1935.
Adolf Hitler believed that the Holy Roman Empire and the German Empire were part of one German empire, so the former was called the First Reich and the German Empire was called the Second Reich. Hitler wanted to be part of this shared history, and therefore, he called the Germany of his time the Third Reich. He kept the existing emblem of the Roman eagle as the country’s coat of arms for the first two years of his reign and then replaced it with a new version that looks like one of the variants of the eagle used in the Roman Empire.
Various versions of the coat of arms used during Nazi Germany.
The insignia on Zaza Shonia’s arm is somewhat similar to the Roman eagle used in Nazi Germany. However, there are differences between them: in the German version, the ring under the eagle depicts swastika, whereas in the Ukrainian version, it is the national coat of arms. In addition, the coat of arms of Nazi Germany was completely black, whereas the insignia on Zaza Shonia’s arm shows a white eagle on the background of a colored flag.
The symbol of the Third Reich.
It is worth noting that the Roman eagle is still used as the coat of arms of Germany. It is similar to the one used between 1928 and 1935, and became a symbol of German unity after the unification of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Democratic Republic of Germany in 1990.
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