Fake The Sea of Azov belongs to Russia
Russian media are spreading the statement of one of the pro-Russian officials that the Sea of Azov has allegedly changed its status, and now the water area allegedly "belongs" to Russia and the occupation administration of Donetsk. This statement is part of Russia's narrative of "inland seas." "This is how propaganda began to call the Black and Azov Seas after the beginning of the armed aggression against Ukraine in 2014 and the Kremlin's temporary occupation of Ukrainian Crimea by the Kremlin. The narratives that Ukraine allegedly "lost" its rights to the peninsula and the adjacent Black and Azov Seas in 2014 are disinformation, " StopFake explained.
In fact, according to all international norms, in particular, the central UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, Ukraine has the full right to use the Black and Azov Seas. This right is not affected by the status of Ukrainian Crimea as "temporarily occupied" or by the Russian armed blockade of the Azov Sea coast and local ports.
Along with the fake about "changing in the status of the Sea of Azov," Russian propaganda is spreading information that it has "succeeded in ruining NATO's plans to consolidate and build military bases in the region." Russia is constantly exploiting the topic of "NATO aggression" to justify its illegal actions, such as the occupation of Crimea or a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Fake of NATO's intention to dominate the Black Sea has been circulating for at least 20 years and was actively used in early 2014. StopFake noted that Russian propaganda has now shifted the message from the Black Sea to the Azov coast. However, the North Atlantic Alliance forces did not declare their intention to "build military bases" on the coast of the Sea of Azov.