Good morning to readers, #Kyiv remains in #Ukrainian hands.
Today our newest reporting fellow Myroslava explores the damaging effects of #Russian ‘mapaganda’ in western and southern #Europe as #drone attacks rapidly escalate inside both #Ukraine and #Russia.
Antonina and her two children escaped #Ukraine last year, evacuating their beloved city of #Kyiv for a safer home in #Germany.
But what happened next was like a slap in the face.
Her son, eight years old, was enrolled in temporary schooling for refugees – and was given an atlas that took Russia’s side in the conflict.
It did not depict #Crimea as part of #Ukraine. The map showed it as part of Russia.
To support our continued on-the-ground reporting and the hiring of more #Ukrainian journalists, please subscribe to The Counteroffensive for free today!
Every little bit helps us do our jobs.
If you really like us, become a paid subscriber!
A war correspondent's open notebook, reporting live from Kyiv. Compelling human stories that illustrate what’s happening during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Click to read The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
History is deeply intertwined with how we view territory on maps.
And history is being manipulated as we speak: the #Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group announced that a new Russian textbook makes the outrageous claim that #Ukraine started the war.
The public’s conceptions of states, where borders are drawn, undoubtedly influence their opinions on justice. https://khpg.org/en/1608812607
All across #Europe, even in countries that are ostensibly favorable towards #Ukraine, like Italy, the effects of Russia’s threats and violence are evident in maps.
Tetyana Bezruchenko moved to Italy 20 years ago. Though she has since received citizenship and gotten married, a part of her heart still remains in her native #Ukraine
Her mother still lives in Tetyana's hometown of #Mariupol, and was trapped there for months during the start.
And although her life is centered in #Milan, she cares about the fate of #Ukraine.
She was shocked when she saw one of the #Italian geography textbooks from her daughter’s secondary school.
It depicted Ukraine as a region of #Russia, along with #Belarus, #Moldova, and the #Baltic states.
"At first, I was shocked. I wanted to do something. I could explain something. I thought I would tell a little more, and people would see this lie. But I realized that it didn't work," Tetyana said.
"Italy is deeply attracted to the Soviet Union and Russia. For many years there has been no objective information about #Ukraine.
All the information comes from Moscow.
From school, Italians know what Russia teaches them.
Tetyana’s daughter Sofia, 11 years old at the time, was the one to notice this particular case of manipulated map history.
Sofia herself prepared information about Ukraine for her classmates when they studied history. Her classmates used her notes to learn about Ukraine.
Many maps, globes, and guidebooks sold in Europe depict Ukraine's territory not in terms of internationally recognized borders but in terms of #Russian declarations or Russian law.
Such disinformation about #Ukraine is spread by some of the largest publishers in #Europe.
These include the Austrian company Freytag & Berndt; the Swiss company Hallwag, and the German companies Mair Dumont, Westermann, and Cosmographics.
Tim Mak
CGdoppelpunkt