The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has described a propagandistic event due to be held in the Italian city of Modena as a provocation. The event claims that the Ukrainian city of Mariupol is "being rapidly rebuilt" after being occupied by Russia.

"The exhibition in Modena about the ‘flourishing’ of Mariupol under Russian occupation is a provocation," Oleh Nikolenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry, said.

He stated that Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has ordered the Ukrainian embassy in Rome to prepare an official statement.

"On the official level, Italy strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. And we expect that this propagandistic event will provoke a sensible reaction," Nikolenko noted.

Earlier it was reported that the propagandistic event, which alleges that Mariupol is "being rapidly rebuilt" after being occupied by Russia, is planned to be held in the Italian city of Modena on 20 January.

The event’s advertising contains the usual Kremlin narratives about an alleged "civilian uprising" in Donbas – actually the actions of Russian saboteurs during the seizure of power in the region in 2014 – and the "rapid rebuilding process" in the city, which was devastated by Russia’s regular forces during its occupation in the spring of 2022.

Online Ukrainian communities in Italy are calling for action to prevent the exhibition from going ahead.