DISINFO: Russia is defending territories that have been part of it for centuries
SUMMARY
Now is a truly special period for our country, we are defending our country, our people, and the territories that are an integral part of our state. During a special military operation, Russia is defending territories that have been part of it for centuries and which they tried to take away from it.
RESPONSE
Recurrent negation of Ukrainian statehood and historical revisionism. This claim is part of a disinformation campaign aiming to justify Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and forceful and illegitimate annexation of Ukrainian territory. Neither these four regions nor Crimea can be considered Russian land, as they are under illegal occupation.
Crimea, Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions are internationally recognised territories of Ukraine, and remain legally part of Ukraine. The forced annexation of these regions took place amid a full invasion under military occupation, and after sham referenda that didn’t meet any international standard to be considered legitimate.
The "referenda" were held illegally, under duress, and on territories which Russia does not even fully control. Multiple testimonies showed that many voters were coerced to take part in the false consultation, and eyewitnesses and footage in places like Enerhodar and Kherson proved that officials escorted by soldiers went door to door picking up votes.
The results of these sham polls were universally rejected by leading international and human rights organisations, including the United Nations, the OSCE, NATO, as well as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. No other states -with the single exception of North Korea- recognised the result of the referenda, despite Russia’s claims at the UN that the presence of over 100 observers from multiple countries recognised the outcomes as legitimate.
On the EU's behalf, High Representative Josep Borrell said the following:
“The European Union strongly condemns these planned illegal “referenda” which go against the legal and democratically elected Ukrainian authorities, are in violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in blatant breach of international law. The results of such actions will be null and void and would not be recognised by the EU and its Member States. [...]
Therefore, these illegal “votes” cannot be considered under any circumstance as the free expression of the will of the people living in these regions under constant Russian military threat and intimidation."
Similar cases can be found in our database: Ukraine's statehood is a myth, its territory belongs to Russia; Ukraine was created from parts of Russia; There has never been a historical Ukraine; It was Lenin who created Ukraine; Ukraine never existed before the 20th century, it was created by the Bolsheviks, Ukraine was created by Lenin, Stalin, and Khrushchev; Ukraine was created by Russia, it is historically fair that it becomes Russian again.