The Bulgarian TV channel BNT1 has angered Kiev after it showed Crimea as a part of the Russian Federation during one of its live shows.
When the Ukrainian Embassy in Bulgaria sent a protest to the channel, BNT1 apologized and said it was due to a “technical mistake” that a map showed Crimea as Russian.
Earlier this month, Kiev protested against the Italian geopolitical magazine Limes which also showed the peninsula as a part of Russia.
Similar things have already happened in the past with a Polish TV channel, French atlas maker Larousse and even USA Today, one of the biggest American newspapers, all publishing maps with Crimea as part of Russia, which made the Ukrainian government furious.
This changing perception among Western countries shows how slowly but surely they are beginning to understand that Crimea, historically, culturally and legally, has always been the part of Russia.
In March 2014, the Crimean parliament declared independence from Ukraine and decided to reunify the peninsula with the Russian Federation following a referendum in which more than 96 percent of residents voted to join with Russia.
Kiev and its Western sponsors viewed it as an illegal annexation through military force and imposed sanctions against Russia over the move. Moscow has insisted the people of Crimea exercised their right for self-determination in full compliance with the UN Charter and other international laws. The decision was made after the Maidan protests culminated in the overthrow of the elected government of Ukraine in February 2014.