Ukraine angered as Geography textbook shows Crimea as part of Russia

According to Oxford University Press’s textbook, Crimea is part of Russia in the same way  that the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad which has been under Moscow’s control since World War II and is not internationally disputed. The textbook calls the annexed Crimea as a territory that “Russia took from Ukraine in 2014,” according to The Newsweek.

The Ukrainian Ambassador’s charge d’affaires wrote in a statement on the Embassy’s Facebook page: “I deeply regret that the textbook misleads the students which used to rely on the Oxford University Press as a reputable publishing house.”

"Ukraine’s Embassy urges the publishing house to correct mistakes immediately as such grave mistakes may bring the Oxford University Press into disrepute,” the statement reads.

The letter carries on to praise the UK’s role in condemning the Crimean annexation and urges publishers to recognize that the sham referendum in Crimea was “held under the barrels of Russian guns.”

A spokesperson for Oxford University Press says that they will make a further addition to the textbook.

“We will be changing the wording used on this matter and will also include the UN position,” the spokesperson says. “We continuously review all of our materials to reflect changes in circumstance and feedback from various sources.”

Read alsoWashington accuses Russia, militants of intimidation of religious groups in Crimea, DonbasHe adds: “All of the information in our atlases and geographical resources are developed through detailed research into the political, social, and economic situation at the time of publication. The exact information that is included on a topic in any particular publication takes account of the level of the students, the learning objective, and it uses language that will engage learners.”

He did not comment on when the updated version of the textbook will go to print.