Portugal reviews textbook showing Crimea following Ukrainian outcry

Portugal’s General Inspectorate of Education and Science has launched a review of a 7th-grade geography textbook that incorrectly labels Crimea as Russian territory – a move that comes in response to a complaint raised by the Ukrainian community in Portugal. 

This follows efforts by the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) and local advocates to counter what they describe as “the alarming spread” of false information about Ukraine in educational materials across Europe. 

“I received notification from Portugal’s General Inspectorate of Education and Science that they have opened a review process concerning geography and history textbooks for 7th grade, where Crimea is presented as Russian territory,” wrote Pavlo Sadokha, Vice President of the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) in Southern Europe and Head of the Union of Ukrainians in Portugal.

In parallel with the Portuguese review, the UWC’s International Educational Coordinating Council (IECC) is initiating an independent effort to study, research, and verify information about Ukraine in history and geography textbooks — not only in Europe but globally.

This initiative responds to the “alarming spread of false and distorted facts,” said IECC Chair Lyuba Lyubchyk.

“We invite educators from various regions to join our initiative and the IECC working group to help promote the spread of accurate, verified information about ongoing historical events,” Lyubchyk said.

Following the working group’s findings, letters will be sent to ministries of education in countries where falsifications or inaccuracies are found in school textbooks.

“The fight for the truth about Ukraine continues and cannot be stopped!” Lyubchyk said.

She also expressed hope that “falsified disinformation will soon be removed from Portuguese school textbooks.”

Lyubchyk thanked Pavlo Sadokha for his “steadfast, uncompromising, and unwavering commitment to advocating for Ukrainian interests and combating Russian disinformation.”