Fake Misinformation that there will be no drinking water in Kyiv, an ecological catastrophe is “looming”
The Russian segment of social networks writes that an ecological catastrophe is approaching Kyiv. The messages claim that the pollution, which began in the Seim river in Sumy region, has reached the Desna river in Kyiv region.
“Will Kyiv do something about this? We'll see. There's been no progress so far - just a statement”, the propagandists write.
However, the pollution of the Seim and Desna did not affect the state of the water in the Dnipro River; there is no threat to Kyiv and the more southern regions.
On August 14, 2024, pollution of the Seim river, which flows from the Kursk region of Russia to the Sumy and Chernihiv regions, was recorded. According to the official version, sewage entered the Seim from a sugar factory in the village of Tiotkino in the Kursk region. About 6 thousand tons of sugar processing products entered the water.
Acting Mayor of Chernihiv Oleksandr Lomako stated that the pollution was caused by Russia's destruction of treatment facilities in Kursk. And already on August 27, the pollution reached the Desna, where the Seim flows. In fact, 70% of Kyiv's drinking water comes from the Desna, so rumors began to spread online that Kyiv could be left without water. However, on September 15, pollution along the Desna reached the Kyiv region, but in a lower concentration.
In Kyiv, the Kyiv City Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports daily on the quality of drinking water. It has not detected any excess of harmful substances. As of September 26, 2024, the indicators are still within the normal range. There are also no threats to water intake in Chernihiv and Sumy regions, because water is obtained not from the river, but from artesian wells.
Swimming, fishing and using this water in the economy are prohibited on the Seim and Desna rivers in Chernihiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions. However, the environmental disaster in Kyiv predicted by Russian Telegram channels did not happen.
By spreading such a message, propagandists want to feed the narrative that Ukraine is allegedly uninhabitable due to the lack of electricity, high prices for utilities; or due to various diseases, pandemics that are spreading exclusively in Ukraine due to the war. In this way, the authors want to sow panic among Ukrainians in order to destabilize the mood and create a feeling that “nothing will change”.