President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that in addition to diplomacy, the priority of the Ukrainian authorities in the issues of Donbas and Crimea are information and humanitarian policy.

“These policies do not exist without one another. There is no point in telling how good it is in Ukraine, if it does not coincide with reality outside the checkpoint. And no improvements are important unless our citizens know about them and, consequently, can take advantage of them,” the Head of State said during a speech at the Unity Forum in Mariupol

“If an effective humanitarian policy is first of all the task of the state, then information policy is a common challenge and a shared responsibility of the authorities, media and every user of social networks,” he stressed.

According to the President, today Crimea is hardly talked about in the mass media, it disappeared from the media agenda, and references to people in Donbas are related only to the war, which puts a negative mark on them. “Our citizens from Luhansk and Donetsk, regardless of their attitude to the so-called LPR, DPR, are called “separatists” without exception, and it has already become the norm to say “residents” in the official rhetoric. “Residents of temporarily occupied territories”. And when we refer to the inhabitants of Crimea and Donbas, we say “citizens of Ukraine” less and less. It is wrong. We should not forget about it. They should not forget about it,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed.

“Today, our information field is sown with mines. In addition to fakes and manipulations, there is anger, aggression, rhetoric filled with hatred sometimes. In my opinion, our society should take a deep breath, exhale and speak calmly. In a reasonable manner. Without unnecessary emotions and slogans,” the President said.