Stores in Belarusian city pull globes from shelves because they depict Crimea as part of Russia

Stores in the Belarusian city of Mogilev have pulled from the shelves globes depicting Crimea as part of the Russian Federation. According to reports, this decision follows recommendations by the city's trade management office advising vendors to avoid “the sale of politicized maps and globes that depict Crimea's territorial status in a way that differs from the views of the international community.”

Mogilev officials conducted their review of the globes in response to a complaint filed by the first deputy chairman of Belarus' Social Democratic Party, Igor Borisov, who warned that the globes mislead consumers and contradict the country's official state position on Crimea.

The globes were manufactured in Poland by a company that reportedly says it depicted Crimea as part of Russia, in order to maintain its business in Russia.