Former Russian President Medvedev has published a map dividing the territory of Ukraine between three countries. Another provocation from Moscow.
Moscow – Since the start of the Ukraine war in February this year, Russian propaganda has been in full swing. At regular intervals, defamatory statements about Ukraine leak out from the Kremlin. In addition to President Vladimir Putin himself, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov often cause verbal gaffes with regard to the war against the neighboring country. The deputy chairman of the Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, has repeatedly caused a stir with provocations in recent months.
Among other things, the former president described the West as “politically impotent” or openly threatened the rest of the world with a nuclear strike and a third world war. Provocation seems to be part of the 56-year-old’s daily craft. And again this week, Medvedev caused a stir.
Ukraine-News: Medvedev rumbles on Telegram against Zelenskyj
On Wednesday, President Putin’s close confidante posted two images with maps of Ukraine via his public Telegram channel. The first map shows Ukraine with the borders that actually existed until 2014. In addition to the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea is also counted as part of Ukraine on the map. This was annexed to Russia in 2014 in violation of international law.
“The following picture of his country’s bright future was formed in the psychoactive substance-influenced brain of the President of Ukraine,” Medvedev commented on the map. Russian officials have repeatedly described Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a drug addict in the past.
New provocation from Moscow: Medvedev publishes false maps of Ukraine
Even if neither Zelenskyy nor the Ukrainian government can be identified as the authors of the map, Kyiv has made no secrets about the goals in the war against Russia in the past. First and foremost is the pushing back of Russian troops from the occupied areas in eastern Ukraine. In addition, the government stressed that it wanted to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in violation of international law in 2014, is to be de facto reconnected to Ukraine.
A requirement that Moscow cannot imagine fulfilling. Medvedev recently said that any attempt to challenge Russia for Crimea would be a “declaration of war on our country.” Then a direct conflict with NATO would be imminent.
Medvedev publishes provocative map – territory of Ukraine divided between three countries
However, the second card that the 56-year-old published caused much more excitement. According to Medvedev, this shows a scenario that “Western analysts” consider likely. However, the deputy chairman of the Security Council did not explain which analysts were involved and where the map should come from.
On the map, the territory of Ukraine is shown in a severely depleted state. Only the oblast of Kyiv around the capital of the same name is given as Ukrainian. The remaining territory of Ukraine is shown on the map divided between three countries: Russia, Poland and Romania.
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The Russian territory stretches across the entire eastern Ukraine, east of the Dnieper to Kyiv. In the southwest, all areas up to the Republic of Moldova are also shown as Russian. A corridor along the Black Sea to the pro-Russian pseudo-republic of Transnistria in Moldova has repeatedly been mentioned by Moscow as a possible war target in the past. However, achieving this goal is now considered unlikely.
The areas of western Ukraine with the metropolis of Lviv are assigned to the national territory of Poland on the map. Chernivtsi Oblast and Vinnytsia Oblast north of Moldova are shown as part of Romania. Medvedev left it open whether the portrayal is actually a scenario intended for Moscow. However, the publication of the card can definitely be seen as a provocation of the 56-year-old in the direction of Kyiv.
Romanian Foreign Ministry rejects account – “part of propaganda tools”
The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs probably saw it that way too. In a press release on Thursday, Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu “resolutely” rejected Medvedev’s comments. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that such actions are part of the propaganda and disinformation tools long used by the Russian Federation, which have been intensified after the start of the illegal and illegitimate war of aggression against Ukraine,” the publication said.
Medvedev’s efforts are “completely unsuccessful attempts to justify their own behavior against the rules-based international order.” Romania unreservedly supports Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
There were no official reactions to the published map from Kyiv or Warsaw until Friday afternoon. In all likelihood, it will not be Medvedev’s last provocation in the direction of Ukraine. (fd)
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