The Russian media has widely reported plans to publish “the first Ukrainian-language newspaper in Crimea”. ‘First’ it is not, but it will be the only paper in Ukrainian since Russia’s invasion and occupation of Crimea. It may be used merely for propaganda purposes, however the ‘Ukrainian society’ supposedly behind the initiative was formed by the occupation government and has an openly anti-Kyiv position.
Zaur Smirnov, an official in the de facto Crimean government, announced on Feb. 4 that the first issue of the newspaper would come out this month, with it probably being monthly at the beginning. The publication, he said, would be financed by the Crimean government and would “of course” not cover any political news, but would talk about the culture, the history of Ukrainians in Crimea and the activities of the Ukrainian community of Crimea.
