From Potemkin to Putin: What a centuries-old myth reveals about Russia's war against Ukraine.

'Once upon a time, there lived a powerful leader known as Catherine the Great who ruled a vast empire and, over the years, conquered many new lands.

Catherine appointed her boyfriend to oversee one of those conquests — a place now called Ukraine. As time passed, he informed her the citizens were flourishing and happy. But, according to a version of the tale passed on for centuries, it was a lie.

In the legend, Catherine decided to launch an expedition, taking a barge down the Dnieper River so she could observe the thriving, joyful subjects. Her boyfriend, Grigory, was fearful his deceit would be exposed, and eager to please his beloved. So, the story goes, he instructed minions to build fake villages along the riverfront — freshly painted facades.

The expedition, with thousands of soldiers and servants, proceeded for six months. According to popular accounts, after Catherine passed each village, the fake buildings were disassembled, placed on carts, rushed downriver and re-created for another viewing.

Catherine, in the story, was mesmerized by the achievements of her lover, Grigory Potemkin, rewarding him with an appointment as Prince of Tauris (Crimea). And, to this day, people worldwide still refer to fake news and false fronts using his name: “Potemkin villages.”'>>>

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