A propaganda sampler Russian state TV hosts mock Ukrainians dealing with aftermath of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure

On the one hand, it’s a pretty sad sight, but on the other, it’s completely natural because [Volodymyr] Zelensky’s stubbornness has already led this and other towns into a natural energy crisis. In Odesa, they can’t count on a stable energy supply for two to three more months — that’s all winter. That’s the local authorities’ prediction. And then, in the meantime, the President of Nezalezhnaya [a derogatory term for Ukraine, based on a Russified version of the Ukrainian word for independence] had a personal conversation with Joe Biden where he complained about massive damage to thermal heat and power plants, only, of course, he didn’t admit that he himself is at fault for such a difficult situation. […]

There’s a generator deficit in Nezalezhnaya. […] But even those who have them, it’s not like they live in peace. After all, generators get stolen. That’s what daily life for a Ukrainian looks like. Charging your phone in stores. Dinner by candlelight. It’s almost romantic, except that it will take about an hour to heat up the food like this. And here’s a man who has to shave next to an ATM. […] Another example — you might be left without hair if you try to dry it over a gas stove. And that’s the best case. The news feed has increasing reports of carbon-monoxide poisoning.

The cities of Nezalezhnaya have been in impenetrable darkness for a week already. […] Regular Ukrainians can’t allow themselves complex meals now: even just 100 milliliters of water [half a glass full] set over a candle flame will boil, at best, in 40 minutes. […] And Russian borscht, which Ukrainians love so much, is physically impossible to prepare without a generator, gas stove, or a fire. […] But even a situation like that has its plus sides. Without a traditional range it’s difficult to fry meat with spices or bake, but those are bad for you. Why not take advantage of the situation and make the switch to healthier, simpler food. Ultimately, the goal of strikes on Nezalezhnaya’s energy system is the improvement of Ukrainian society.

“Ukrainian leadership has every opportunity to resolve the situation in such a way that they end the potential suffering of the civilian population.” That was Dmitry Peskov’s comment today in response to journalists’ questions about Ukraine’s latest blackout. On the one hand, the presidential press secretary once again stressed: no strikes are carried out on social infrastructure. But on the other hand, the Kyiv regime’s stubborn failure to comply with the Russian side’s demands leads to wide-scale power outages. Just because the enemy put its own energy system in the path of war. Now it needs to be systematically beaten. And now, because of Zelensky and Zaluzhny [commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces], entire regions are in the dark.

The Americans and the West in general are pumping weapons into Ukraine. So, we found an asymmetrical response, which allows us, on the one hand, to paralyze the enemy and, on the other, to preserve the lives of our fighting heroes. Russian precision-guided missiles are systematically taking the Ukrainian energy system offline from a great distance. As a result, all nuclear power plants experienced emergency shutdowns. […] From space, the country at night looks like a black hole. […] Not only are the lights out, but electrified trains have been disrupted. […] Blackouts mean serious disruptions to water supply, heat, sewer systems, and telecommunications, including Internet. […] In fact, it’s an antidote to the weapon supply from the West. 

Of course, there’s nothing good for Ukrainians in these strikes that Russia is launching on energy infrastructure. And there’s no reason to be glad about that. And we’re not glad. But we understand that (given that the Russian Ministry of Defense carries out strikes with minimal civilian casualties), strange as it sounds, this, possibly, is one of the most humanitarian, humane opportunities to move toward the end of this conflict. 

The Geranium [Russian branding for Iranian-made Shahed suicide drones] continues to flower across Ukrainian territory currently occupied by nazis. Strikes are launched essentially every day, sometimes more than once. The main targets are transport and energy infrastructure. The main task is taking enterprises that serve the war effort out of operation and destroying logistics. To put it plainly, we’re making it impossible to restore military equipment and transport it to the front lines. That’s why rolling blackouts in the cities and everywhere across Nezalezhnaya are Kyiv’s decision, not the main result of our strikes.

By turning off the lights in Ukraine, Russia is forming an automatic reflex in the khokhols [a derogatory Russian term for Ukrainians]. “The lights are out, that means I did something wrong, what should I do so the lights go back on?” Well, you at least need to stop singing Bandera songs and taking down Pushkin monuments and learn some history. At the same time, it’s completely possible to remain people and even to speak Ukrainian — the main thing is to remember that the lights are out not because of Kalibr [cruise missiles] but because of the mess in your heads and your conduct.

“Instances of domestic violence are increasing due to the lack of light in homes,” said Ukrainian Minister of Internal Affairs Denys Monastyrsky. I’m remembering how Kulebishe [a derogatory nickname for Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba] was happy about the cold and saying everyone would make love. For some reason that didn’t work out. In fact, neither did anything that the Kyiv regime promised. Or maybe that’s love, for them?

Odesa is a city with a huge pro-Russian population. Hundreds of thousands of people, who are impatiently awaiting liberation. And the fact that they suffer worst of all [from power outages] — it makes you sad and weighs you down. We’re breaking the Kyiv regime, but our own are getting it. But the choice history gives us is this: surrender absolutely everything, including the Donbas and Crimea; send more and more Russian people to slaughter; or something else. So, we’re dealing out that bitter and icy “something else.”