Russian sources claim that in the Ukrainian parliament, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi was allegedly called a ‘terrorist’ over the energy crisis in Transnistria. These words are attributed to MP Artem Dmytruk.

However, the StopFake project reports that Dmytruk, who indeed referred to Zelenskyi as a ‘terrorist’, is only nominally a member of the Ukrainian parliament. Therefore, his words do not represent the position of the Ukrainian parliament.

In August 2024, he illegally left Ukraine via Moldova just before his possible arrest. Besides scandals involving fights, including the beating of a soldier, Dmytruk is known for appearing in a propaganda film by Anatolii Sharii about the events in Odesa in 2014 and being a subdeacon of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. In November 2021, he was expelled from the Servant of the People faction. Today, Dmytruk regularly serves as a primary source for spreading fake news about the situation in Ukraine. For example, in November 2024, he gave an interview to RT (formerly Russia Today).

There are two main reasons for the suspension of gas supplies to Transnistria. First, it is the cessation of transit through Ukrainian territory - the agreement between Russia and Ukraine regarding gas transit expired on December 31, 2024, and Ukraine refused to renew it due to the ongoing war with Russia. Second, there are debt obligations - Gazprom announced the cessation of gas supplies to Moldova, including Transnistria, citing Moldovagaz's debt of $709 million.

President Zelenskyi stated that Ukraine had offered assistance in resolving the energy crisis in Transnistria, but this offer was ignored there. Moldova's offer of help received the same response in Transnistria. The presidents of both countries have stated that the crisis in Transnistria is a result of deliberate actions by Russia.

Russian agitprop is conducting an information campaign against Ukraine and Moldova, highlighting the situation in Transnistria.

Earlier, we analyzed the words of Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who, reacting to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine, said that President Zelenskyi was engaging in “blackmail and begging”.

Pro-Russian telegram channels are spreading information that Kharkiv residents are leaving the city en masse due to the lack of light, heating and other benefits of civilization. In their messages, propagandists add a video allegedly describing the entire situation.

In fact, the video that was circulated dates back to the end of February 2022: the footage shows wet snow and the author of the video can be heard saying: “We will defeat you [the Russians] anyway”. They write about this in the Center for Strategic Communications and Security at the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

As for the situation with electricity, in Kharkiv it is indeed difficult, but not critical for the citizens. The massive Russian shelling of energy infrastructure on March 22, 2024 caused significant damage to it, but the blackout lasted less than a day. Currently, power outage schedules are in effect in Kharkiv and the region.

The heating season ended ahead of schedule - on March 26 instead of April 30. This decision is due to damage to the energy infrastructure by the Russians, as well as the need to save resources during the war and global warming. The heating season was also completed ahead of schedule in Kyiv, Dnipro, Lutsk and other cities, where there were no attacks on energy facilities during this period.

By spreading this disinformation, Russian propaganda seeks to provoke panic among Kharkiv residents, as well as to intimidate with a possible Russian attack on the city in the summer. As for the latter, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Oleksandr Syrskyi, spoke eloquently about this: “If the Russians go there again, Kharkiv will become a fatal city for them”. Previously, we refuted information that Ukraine allegedly announced the deportation of residents of Kharkiv, preparing it for defense.

Such a message is spread by pro-Russian telegram channels. They say that people of Kyiv are very happy that electricity has been restored in their homes. Allegedly, this is not the merit of power engineers, but of the “West” and weather conditions. However, it will soon become colder and people will again be left without electricity and heating.

With this message, propagandists are trying to achieve several goals at once. Firstly, to devalue the work of Ukrainian power engineers and workers who ensure the operation of critical infrastructure. Secondly, to fix the narratives about “external governance”, “loss of subjectivity by Ukraine”, “Ukraine as a “failed state””, etc. Thirdly, to distort foreign aid to Ukraine to restore energy supply. Also, the Russians are once again trying to oppose certain parts of Ukraine to each other. They say that restoring electricity in Kyiv is “more important” than in other parts of Ukraine.

Russian media and pro-Russian resources are spreading reports that residents are allegedly leaving Kyiv en masse. Like, because of the actions of the authorities, the city is emptying, the real estate market is not working. Kyiv is in decline.

Russian propaganda once again gives out wishful thinking. Despite massive rocket attacks, problems with energy supply, the number of Kyiv residents is returning to pre-war levels. In Ukraine, there is indeed increased migration now, but it is not caused by “decline”, but by Russian aggression. StopFake notes that the message of Russian propaganda about the departure of people from Kyiv and the state of the real estate market is a fiction of propagandists.