(KYIV, UKRAINE) – Residents in Ukrainian cities controlled by Russian forces say they have been forced to live in damaged and unheated homes for years, while the Russian dictator’s occupation administrations claim on paper that repairs are complete.
In Sievierodonetsk, a video posted online shows families living in a block where the roof remains broken and heating has not worked for four consecutive winters. Despite these conditions, occupation officials have filed documents stating the property has already been repaired.
According to the Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD) of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, this example reflects a wider pattern: Moscow prioritises propaganda over people. Russian state media regularly shows images of smiling families and grand reconstruction projects, but residents describe a bleak reality shaped by neglect and decay.
The CCD states that the Russian dictator’s rule in the occupied areas has brought nothing but fear, pressure, and deprivation. It says the occupation has stripped residents of their security, seized homes, and created an ongoing humanitarian crisis no publicity campaign can hide.
Russian media crews frequently visit occupied regions to film ribbon cuttings and brief staged meetings with locals. Ukrainian officials say these trips are designed to distract viewers from shortages, destroyed infrastructure, and lack of basic services.
Residents say they are tired of being told life is improving when their living conditions have clearly worsened. Many have now been enduring hardship for more than three years, hoping for repairs that exist only in propaganda broadcasts.
