DISINFO: Ukraine was created from parts of Russia
SUMMARY
Ukraine is not a state, but a torn sheet. This state was artificially created from parts of Russia. Ukraine in the borders of 1991 is only nonsense that appeared due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Millions of Russian compatriots that were oppressed by the Kyiv's Nazist regime live in this territory. The aim of the special military operation is to protect them.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative designed to undermine Ukrainian statehood, as well as to justify the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state with a democratically-elected president and parliament. Ukraine has a functioning government and economy, it is a member of many international organisations (e.g. United Nations, Council of Europe), and a party to international agreements. Ukraine has bilateral diplomatic relations with the majority of countries.
The history of Ukraine dates back to the era of the Kyivan Rus’ in the 9th-13th centuries. A fully independent Ukraine only emerged in the 20th century, after long periods of successive domination by Poland-Lithuania, Russia, and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been violated by continuous acts of aggression by Russian armed forces since 2014 culminating in a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy. The accusation of Nazism and building a link to Nazi Germany is one of the favourite techniques of pro-Kremlin outlets. Read our past analysis Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest.
See other similar narratives of disinformation: Ukraine was created by Russia, it is historically fair that it becomes Russian again; Ukrainians die forced to defend Nazi clique in a mythological country; Russia invented Ukraine.