Months before the Russian army invaded Ukraine, an oligarch with Russian connections was paying Kharkiv residents to paint swastikas on the streets of the city.. These efforts were part of preparations for a " The drawings were supposed to exacerbate the allegation of an alleged “Nazi regime” in Ukraine.

Rolling Stone writes about this, citing its own sources, noting that this billionaire was Pavel Fuks, who collaborated with the Russian special services.. From December to February, through intermediaries, Fuchs allegedly offered between $500 and $1,500 to petty street criminals to paint the streets of Kharkov with Nazi graffiti..

The publication writes that Fuchs's efforts to incite discord in Ukraine before the Russian invasion are evidenced by a number of different sources, including US intelligence reports.. Rolling Stone journalists also spoke to an unnamed Ukrainian who claims to have quarreled with Fuchs twice over swastikas.. Another account of the oligarch's activities in recent weeks came from a US intelligence informant with high-level connections in the Ukrainian government and business circles.. A U.S. official, who agreed to speak to reporters on condition of anonymity, confirmed that U.S. intelligence agencies are indeed looking into Fuchs' behavior..

Former Ukrainian kickboxer Oleg Plush, who claims to have been friends with Fuchs and talked to him about swastikas on the streets of Kharkiv, told Rolling Stone that he learned about the scheme from an intermediary who was looking for people to do it.. When the athlete asked about the swastikas, Fuchs told him he " And that he needs to complete this “task” if he wants to keep the business in the region.

The publication reminds that Fuchs has a Jewish origin. He also donated a considerable amount to the Holocaust memorial in Kyiv.. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that he hired people to draw swastikas in Kharkov because of anti-Semitism.

However, it confirms that there was at least one deliberate attempt by the Russian intelligence services to fabricate “evidence” that would reinforce the Kremlin’s fabrications about Nazism in Ukraine..

Plush told Rolling Stone he personally knew of three incidents of anti-Semitic graffiti Fuchs paid for.. According to him, one of them was painted in Kyiv near the main synagogue. It happened in November. The " Plush claims that he personally knows at least two Fuchs executors..