DISINFO: Ukraine is an artificial state created against Russia, it is an anti-Russian project
SUMMARY
Ukraine needs to support its pocket church, and it is needed to show that the Ukrainian state has taken place. In fact, the Ukrainian state is nothing more than an entity created by external forces on the territory of Russia as an anti-Russian (vehicle). And without this anti-Russian ideology, without Russophobia, this state loses its meaning.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative alleging that Ukraine is not a state, that Ukraine is under external control, and that it is a Russophobic, anti-Russian project.
Ukraine is recognised in international law as a sovereign nation-state, with its own flag, nationality, language and with a democratically-elected president and parliament. Ukraine is not controlled by any foreign government, while its sovereignty and territorial integrity are respected by most of the free world but were violated by Russia in 2014.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is an independent, autocephalous church. The Tomos of autocephaly was granted by the Constantinople Patriarchy in January 2019, when all members of the Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate signed off the Tomos of autocephaly. The signing of the Tomos happened after months of careful preparations and considerations by the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Holy Synod.
Ukraine is not a Russophobic country. It had to react to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas. However, after 2014, Ukraine has not forbidden contacts between citizens of Ukraine and Russia, as well as sports, cultural, scientific, or other exchange. Ukraine and Russia have diplomatic and consular relations. The borders between the countries remain open. Although relations have worsened, the countries continue to trade.
See similar disinformation cases alleging that Ukraine is a successful Western project against Russia, that the West has turned Ukraine into a buffer between Russia and Europe, that Ukraine rewrites its history to move away from Russia, that Ukraine is a state formation, not a country, that Ukraine is not an independent state, or that the Ukrainian autocephalous church is a US project.