How the кremlin turned water into a propaganda tool
For years, kremlin propaganda has used the issue of water in occupied Ukrainian territories as a tool to justify its aggression and manipulate public opinion.
▫️As analysts at EUvsDisinfo note, since the occupation of Crimea in 2014, russia has built a comprehensive disinformation narrative around water shortages.
▫️Throughout these years, the kremlin has accused Ukraine of a “water blockade,” often appealing to international law. However, moscow conveniently “forgets” a key principle: the occupying state bears full responsibility for ensuring basic needs for civilians in occupied territories.
▫️After 2022, the kremlin began using the “water issue” to justify the full-scale invasion — from the “need to liberate the North Crimean Canal” to absurd claims that the Dnipro River “belongs to russia.”
▫️Moreover, during each new water crisis in the occupied territories, russia does not solve the problem but launches another wave of disinformation: claiming “putin personally controls the situation” or promising desalination of the Sea of Azov.
Through these manipulations, russia aims to distract from the harsh reality — in 2025, major cities in occupied eastern Ukraine remain without water, and the situation is unlikely to improve soon. Responsibility lies solely with russia.
