Russian television channels Zvezda and REN-TV falsely reported that Odesa Governor Mihail Saakashvili had predicted the secession of Odesa from Ukraine. He allegedly said: “Odesa may withdraw from Ukraine, as it has a reasonable basis for such a step”.

tvzvezda.ru website screenshot
tvzvezda.ru website screenshot
 ren.tv website screenshot
ren.tv website screenshot

This false item was then picked up by PolitRussia, Anti-Fascist, NewsFront, and Russkaya Vesna, among others.

politrussia.com website screenshot
politrussia.com website screenshot
antifashist.com website screenshot
antifashist.com website screenshot
 news-front.info website screenshot
news-front.info website screenshot

In fact, Saakashvili was simply commenting upon the highly problematic situation in the south of the Odesa region in the Bessarabia area.
He was pointing out that only Russian television channels are available in some of these areas. Moreover, he was discussing that areas of Ukrainian Bessarabia are largely separated from the rest of Ukraine by poor roads and shabby bridges needed to cross the adjoining river and estuary. He said that volatility is being spurred by poor infrastructure and Russian media propaganda. “How should we avoid an aggravation of the situation there?” Saakashvili asks in an interview for the NewsOne television channel (from 5:13 of the video).