Russians tried to hold a propaganda exhibition about the temporarily occupied Mariupol in Modena, Italy. The city authorities cancelled the permit
The Russian "cultural association" Russia Emilia-Romagna planned to hold a propaganda exhibition about the temporarily occupied Mariupol called "Mariupol. Revival after the war" in the Italian city of Modena. After the public outcry, the city authorities cancelled the permit for the event.
Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.
The Russians planned to hold a propaganda exhibition, "Mariupol. Revival after the war", on January 20. The organisers called Mariupol "a symbol of the people's uprising in Donbas against the Kyiv junta". They claimed that the city is now allegedly "undergoing a rapid process of recovery under the auspices of the institutions of the Russian Federation".
However, according to the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andriushchenko, there is no electricity supply in the occupied city, and there are problems with mould and mud on the streets and with electricity and water supply. Local residents cannot receive pensions and salaries from the so-called "authorities", and food prices in the city are inflated.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called the exhibition a "provocation".
On January 9, it became known that the Modena City Hall had withdrawn the permit after an appeal from the Ukrainian side.
"We sincerely welcome this decision. We are grateful to both the city council and Ukrainians in Italy who did not allow Italian society to be misled about the consequences of Russian crimes in Mariupol and Ukraine. We call on other cities worldwide not to provide platforms for similar Russian provocations. This will be an important contribution to Ukraine's victory over Russian aggression,"
said Ukrainian MFA spokesperson Nikolenko.
