The Strategic Communications Department of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has published a list of terms recommended for use in publications covering events in the Donbass.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, the use of the terms “territory of the self-proclaimed/so-called DPR/LPR”, “southeast of Ukraine” and “east of Ukraine” in the media and social networks is cited as an example, which, according to the Department, is erroneous in accordance with with the laws of Ukraine.
“In order for Ukraine and the world to speak about the war in a “common language”, it is necessary to use the appropriate terms that will form a media space close to reality. The same perception of war allows faster and more efficient search for solutions to problems and avoiding conflicts caused by the lack of a common understanding of events”, – the Office said in a Facebook post.
In the opinion of the Ukrainian “political leaders”, the incorrect definition of a particular region of Ukraine leads to a number of problems, including the substitution of concepts, clouding of consciousness, opposition and the creation of stereotypes.
“East of Ukraine” as opposed to “Greater Ukraine” is a term that Russia and the pro-Russian media use to separate the population of the temporarily occupied territories from the Ukrainians living under a legitimate government, and then create tension in society and hostility between citizens. Thus, using the terms “east of Ukraine” and “southeast of Ukraine”, they expand the geography of the conflict, because in geographic perception, the east is also the Kharkiv region, and the southeast often embraces the Zaporozhye region in consciousness, while under occupation there are separate areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions”, – was explained in the message.
The published list is yet another confirmation of the military-political censorship in the Ukrainian media, which is imposing a false, propagandistic version of events in the Donbass on the society.