DISINFO: Ukraine is in free fall
SUMMARY
In social and economic terms, the Ukraine is in free fall. Following years of chaos and corruption the Ukraine is now a deindustrialized country which can sell only three things: men (for menial jobs in Poland and in the EU), women (prostitution) and its “black soil” (chernozem).
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Ukraine as a failed state. Consistent with pro-Kremlin narratives alleging that Ukraine is a degrading state that has failed to become Europe, while the EU is planning to rob Ukraine's soil. Ukraine has a functioning government and economy, it is a member of many international organisations, such as the United Nations and the Council of Europe, and a party to international agreements. Ukraine has bilateral diplomatic relations with the majority of states. The Ukrainian economy has been affected by the recession of the 1990s, the world economic and financial crisis in 2008-2009 and the crisis provoked by the Russian military intervention in Ukraine that started in 2014. However, its gross domestic product (GDP) has exceeded the pre-Independence levels in 2005 and was at an all-time high in 2013. Moreover, Ukraine's GDP per person has been improving steadily since 2015 and as of 2018-2019 was the largest in Ukrainian history.