On January 22, 2024, a Georgian-language Facebook user published a post, according to which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree on the annexation of Rostov, Krasnodar, Belgorod and Bryansk by Ukraine. The post is accompanied by a screenshot of the Telegram post, which notes in the Ukrainian language that “Zelenskyy’s decree – Rostov, Krasnodar, Belgorod, Bryansk, Slobojanshina are lands within the Russian Federation historically inhabited by Ukrainians.” The document of the order of the President of Ukraine N17/2024 is also visible on the screenshot.
On January 22, similar information, that Zelenskyy issued a decree on the annexation of Russian territories, was spread by several Russian-language media, ДОН-МЕДИА and Блокнот. In the article of ДОН-МЕДИА, we read that Zelenskyy’s decree talks about the “return” of historically Ukrainian lands, while Блокнот notes that Zelenskyy declared the right of sovereignty over Russian territories.
The claims about the decree passed by Zelenskyy on January 22 are false. The decree concerns the preservation of the national identity of ethnic Ukrainians living on the territory of Russia, and it does not entail the annexation of Russian territories to Ukraine in any way.
The mentioned decree was published on the website of the President of Ukraine on January 22, 2024, although it does not refer to the annexation of Russian territories by Ukraine. The purpose of the decree is to start working in the direction of preserving the national identity of Ukrainians living on the territory of Russia. The decree does not mention the annexation of Russian territories in any way.
The decree stresses that Russia has tried for centuries to erase the national identity of Ukrainians, including Ukrainians living in the territory of today’s Krasnodar region, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Rostov districts. The decree also emphasizes that Russia is responsible for protecting the rights and freedoms of ethnic Ukrainians living on its territory. Given this situation, Zelenskyy’s new decree instructs the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to develop and submit to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine an action plan to preserve the national identity of Ukrainians, including ethnic Ukrainians living in the Russian Federation.
Within the framework of the action plan, the historical memory of the crimes committed against the Ukrainians living in the territory of Russia in the past and now, forced Russification, political repression, and deportation should be restored and preserved. The decree also mentions that work against disinformation and propaganda about Ukrainians living in Russia and other nations conquered by Russia should be started and cooperation between Ukrainians and other nations conquered by Russia should be developed.
As part of the plan to protect the national identity of Ukrainians, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine should prepare and distribute materials about the history of Ukraine, as well as update and include information about the true history of ethnic Ukrainians living on the territory of Russia in the educational programs.
Nowhere in the decree is there any mention of the annexation of the territories of Russia or any other state, and it is entirely related to the issues of national identity and history of Ukrainians.
Regarding the decree, the President of Ukraine noted that a step has been taken for the return of historical truth for the future of Ukraine.
About the Source:
Georgian-language Facebook user Eduard Jishkariani often publishes anti-Western and anti-Ukrainian content, including disinformation. “Myth Detector” has debunked the false information disseminated by Jishkariani a number of times in the past.
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