During a briefing held on Saturday, August 30, Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov drew unexpected attention not only with his remarks but also with a map displayed in the background.

At the fifteenth second of the broadcast, a map becomes visible behind Gerasimov, hanging near the door. It depicts Ukraine and the southern regions of Russia, but notably omits Ukraine’s Black Sea coastline. On this image, in addition to the DPR, LPR, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, both Nikolaev and Odessa regions are also visually shown as part of Russia.

At that very moment, Gerasimov declared that Russian forces were continuing their active offensive along the entire frontline.

This visual detail echoes earlier statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In November 2023, he referred to Odessa as a «Russian city» and stressed that the lands of the Black Sea region and Crimea had never historically belonged to Ukraine.