DISINFO: There are no Ukranian towns in Ukraine; all were founded in Russia
SUMMARY
From the geopolitical point of view, Odesa is precious. This city is worth fighting for. It was founded by Empress Catherine II. There are no truly Ukrainian towns in Ukraine. All were founded in Russia.
RESPONSE
The message promotes Russian imperialist claims over the territory of Ukraine.
Odesa is the third-most populous Ukrainian city and a major seaport located in the south-west of the country. It continues to be heavily bombed by Russia during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
While the 1794 decree of the Russian empress Catherine II established a navy harbour and trading place on its place, the city area has a history of settlement dating back to ancient times. While a number of towns were established on the territory of present‑day Ukraine during the Russian Empire, many others, including Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, were founded and prospered centuries before the Russian Empire came into existence. Regardless of the period in which specific settlements were established, Russia’s invasion of the sovereign Ukrainian state constitutes a blatant violation of international law.
Russia has been coming up with different explanations and pretexts for its aggression. Putin launched a wide-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 citing NATO’s military infrastructure approaching the Russian border as a pretext. Official Russian statements named the “demilitarisation and denazification” as another pretext.
Read earlier disinformation cases alleging that Russia is getting its city Kharkiv back, that Kharkiv and other ancient Russian cities are to be liberated from Kyiv, and that the West wants to destroy the Russian cities of Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa.