Russian propaganda is active in the occupied territories of Luhansk oblast, but today it pays more attention to the newly occupied part of the oblast. Russians try to control people's minds as quickly as possible, but their methods are not always thorough and high-quality.Today we are analyzing the actions of the occupying authorities in Sievierodonetsk, which became the administrative center of the oblast after the occupation of Luhansk in 2014, and in 2022 Russian troops destroyed all its critical infrastructure.
"Restoration" of Sievierodonetsk
Sievierodonetsk is almost the only city in the occupied Luhansk oblast where the Russians create a picture of active reconstruction.However, we have already emphasized that these are only illusions. What is wrong with the Russian restoration of Sievierodonetsk?
At the beginning of April 2023, the mayor of Sievierodonetsk, Mykola Morgunov, stated in an interview that 137 buildings had already been repaired in the city and noted that these were exactly the previously damaged buildings.
According to the so-called "Ministry of Construction and Housing and Communal Services of the Russian Federation" at the beginning of April, the restoration of more than 200 objects of residential and social importance was recorded.On June 1, the so-called leader of the "LPR" Leonid Pasichnyk said that by 2023 it was planned to restore "at least 100 more houses" in Sievierodonetsk.Thus, by the end of 2023, not even half of the housing stock will be restored in the city.
The Russians understate that they restore only such houses, the repair of which will take the least amount of money in order to create an effective picture for propagandistic TV reports.
Local Telegram channel "Sievierodonetsk". Luhansk oblast" published a screenshot from the chat where residents of Sievierodonetsk communicate with each other:
"The situation is simply terrible in Sievierodonetsk. Only residential buildings and apartments that were not damaged at all are being repaired...Burned houses are just standing, some are being demolished. There is a large number of rats in the city...", people from the occupation write.
According to locals, Russian builders did replace the surviving windows and pipes in the houses. In addition, residents of Sievierodnetsk complain about the dishonesty of repairmen. The woman confirms this fact in the audio recording:
"People from Moscow are rebuilding the city, they are destroying everything in a row. Pipes do not fit under standards, nothing fits under the Moscow standard. It doesn't matter - appartments with repairs, or without repairs."
She also notes that after such repair works, the apartments may be left in an improper condition:
"The builders behave insolently: they smash something, turn everything upside down."
Residents of Sievierodonetsk publish photos of their apartments after repair works:
Russian sources reported on May 30 that in Sievierodonetsk people are returning to apartments with broken windows and there is no electricity in some parts of the city.
“Russian-speaking population was under pressure”
Journalists of the Russian newspaper “Kurganinsky Izvestia” published an article after their trip to Luhansk oblast, in which they wrote: “They are tired of being afraid. They are tired of explosions. They want to speak Russian.” According to them, in Luhansk oblast, in particular in Sievierodonetsk, residents were forbidden to use the Russian language, but it is a great fake. A significant number of residents of the Luhansk oblast (mainly cities) spoke Russian, and they never once heard of prohibitions.
In addition, on the streets of Sievierodonetsk, even before the invasion, you could see signs with the names of shops and other establishments in Russian.
The game "Sokil” (“Jura”) teaches to hate
The Russian TV channel “NTV” showed the apartment belonged to Valerii Negmatov, a history teacher from Sievierodonetsk. There, the journalists allegedly found Nazi literature, in particular Adolf Hitler's book “Mein Kampf”. It is this book that the Russians often use in similar plots, and its printing mainly took place in Russia, and the mass printing took place in the USSR (on the territory of the Russian Federation):
It is very likely that the Russians use the same textbook brought from the territory of the Russian Federation in all the plots.
According to the propagandists, the game "Sokil” (“Jura”) is like a circle where children are taught to “shoot and hate".
In fact, "Sokil” (“Dzhura”) is an all-Ukrainian military-patriotic game for children and youth, the purpose of which is the military-sports and national-patriotic education of our youth based on the traditions of the Ukrainian Cossacks.
“Jura” is a form of extracurricular work on patriotic education of schoolchildren, a means of forming patriotic consciousness and sports and recreational work. At such classes, children test their knowledge of the history of Ukraine, Cossacks, take part in intellectual marathons, play sports, go on hikes, set up camps, learn to march in formation, own weapons, and provide first aid. “Jura” does not teach to hate, on the contrary, such a game teaches to love own country.
Humanitarian situation
Despite the beautiful picture in Russian stories about the “restoration” of the city, there is still a shortage of medicine and specialists in hospitals in Sievierodonetsk.
Due to the lack of mobile communication and the Internet, locals cannot call emergency services, which is why a man recently died.
Telegram channel "Sievierodonetsk. Times” with reference to local chats reported about a terrible incident in the occupation.
In the temporarily occupied Sievierodonetsk, on the night of May 28-29, a fire broke out in a house at 44a Khimikiv Ave. A 90-year-old man died.
“A 4-story building was on fire in Sievierodonetsk, a man died. Due to the lack of mobile communication, people could not quickly call emergency services,” the report says.
The global problem that unites the big cities of Luhansk oblast is the invasion of rats in apartments and entrances.Such announcements can be seen on many residential buildings:
“Dear residents of the Kurchatov 5 building, a convincing request! Remove cereals and flour from the apartments and spread poison in connection with the mouse epidemic.”
As a result the negligence of the occupation authorities, water bodies in the city are disappearing.In particular, the Parkove Lake in Sievierodonetsk has almost dried up.Let's compare the reservoirs before the full-scale invasion and now:
The Parkove Lake is artificial and it cannot exist without feeding.The lake began to dry up in the summer of 2022 (satellite images from the end of June - beginning of July).
