Mapping the Territory of Ukraine in Modern European Cartography

Abstract

The purpose is to analyze critically the depiction of the territory of Ukraine, including Crimea and the Ukrainian-Russian state border, on modern cartographic publications distributed in Europe. Research methods.

The methodological basis of the study was formed by modern ideas about cartography as an important method of recording events and phenomena and about the importance of the map as an important historical document. The principles of criticality and impartiality, as well as general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, were used.

Results. The Russo-Ukrainian war led to the occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine by the Russian aggressor and its illegal incorporation into the Russian Federation. Cartographers faced the difficult question of how to depict the territory of Ukraine and the Ukrainian-Russian state border. An analysis of dozens of modern cartographic works depicting the territory of Ukraine offered to European consumers has shown ambiguous approaches. Many mapping companies correctly show the integrity of Ukraine’s territory in accordance with international law. However, many European and American mapping publishers depict the territory of Ukraine on maps, atlases, and globes in a biased manner. A conditional designation of the disputed state border has been introduced, which denotes the territory of Crimea, ORDLO, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, as well as sections of the Ukrainian-Russian state border within Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Crimea is depicted as an integral part of the Russian Federation or as a territory disputed between Ukraine and the Russian Federation, and the state border in the Kerch Strait is shown as “the border claimed by Ukraine.” The maps contain manipulative texts about Crimea, about the editorial approach to showing the actual administrative administration, which, in their opinion, may differ from the accepted norms of international law. Maps of Russian publishing houses are being distributed in Europe, promoting the inclusion of the occupied (and other) parts of Ukraine into the Russian Federation.

Conclusions. The article analyzes approaches to mapping the territory of Ukraine and its state border in modern European cartography. The depiction of the Ukrainian-Russian border is often incorrect and unacceptable. The sphere of cartography, in particular the distribution of mass-market cartographic works for adults and children with an incorrect depiction of the territory of Ukraine, can be perceived as a type of hybrid warfare of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.