On September 30, 2025, Russia marked the anniversary of the "accession of the new regions", as pro-Kremlin propaganda calls the occupation of parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia and Kherson regions.
Special commemorative coins were issued for the occasion and lavish concerts were organized, at which famous Russian artists praised Moscow's "care" for the occupied regions. The aim of these precisely staged events was to create an impression of stability and prosperity - a propaganda facade behind which the reality looks much darker.
This is stated in an analysis of the EUvsDisInfo project of the East Stratcom Task Force of the Diplomatic Service of the European Union on Russian propaganda surrounding the territories of Ukraine occupied by Moscow.
One of the most telling pieces of evidence is the ongoing water crisis. Ever since the first Russian invasion in 2014, the occupied regions have suffered from a serious shortage of drinking water - a problem that has dramatically worsened since 2022 and is already a severe test for the Kremlin.
And the "cure" Moscow's, as usual, is a constant stream of propaganda and disinformation.
Crimea and the myth of "water ecocide"
Until 2014, 85% of Crimea's water came from the North Crimean Canal, which carries water from the Dnieper to the peninsula. After the occupation and Russia's unwillingness to negotiate or pay for this resource, Ukraine cut off the water supply and built a temporary dam in the Kherson region.
Initially, the available reserves allowed Moscow to downplay the crisis, but military needs quickly shook the water balance in the region.
The Russian army consumes huge amounts of water, and the mass settlement of Russian citizens in Crimea has further strained resources. By 2016, the problem was serious enough to be turned into a political weapon.
At a meeting of the UN Security Council, Russian representative Pyotr Ilyichev accused Ukraine of a "water blockade" that allegedly violated human rights - even though international law obliges the occupying power to provide for the basic needs of the population.
Since then, the Kremlin has been developing an entire narrative of Ukrainian "water ecocide" and even filed a lawsuit against Kiev in the European Court of Human Rights.
When the court rejected it in 2023, the Russian media silently swallowed the result - the propaganda goal had already been achieved.
Blaming the West, promising miracles
In parallel, Moscow blamed the "evil and aggressive West", claiming that the water crisis was part of the "anti-Russian strategy" of the EU and the US. This was followed by absurd claims that since the Dnieper River originated in Russia, its water "belonged" to the country. Moscow even threatened to "cut off" the river from Ukraine.
To hide the deteriorating situation, the Kremlin began to spread fantastic "engineering solutions" - from an underwater tunnel under the Black Sea, to extracting "sweet springs" from the bottom to planes that would "cause rain".
None of these promises were fulfilled. The inhabitants of Crimea got used to the water regime and to standing in lines for water carriers while the Russian army drilled new wells without much effect.
Water as a justification for war
In 2022, water propaganda had already been turned into a tool to justify the invasion. Russia openly stated that one of its goals was to secure control over the North Crimean Canal. After the occupation of the facilities in the Kherson region, state propaganda declared it a "triumph" - Russia had supposedly saved Crimea from thirst.
But the success turned out to be hollow. Russian commentators themselves have admitted that water losses in the canal reach 40%, even though the infrastructure has been under Russian control for years.
After the destruction of the "Kakhovka" dam in 2023, the crisis became even more severe. When there was no one to blame, the Kremlin simply switched to silence - a well-known control mechanism.
The Thirsty "Patriots"
In 2025, the water crisis in the occupied regions of Eastern Ukraine reached a critical level. Independent reports paint a bleak picture: Donetsk and Mariupol receive water for only a few hours once every two or three days.
Hospitals, kindergartens and schools are the first to suffer the blow, and many neighborhoods rely on water carriers who come 1-2 times a week.
The Kremlin responded with a new propaganda campaign that downplays the crisis as a "temporary difficulty". State media assures that "Putin is personally solving the problem", that "kilometers of water pipes are being repaired", and Donbass would soon even receive desalinated water from the Sea of Azov.
The propaganda is already talking about future resorts that would appear "literally on the front line".
In parallel, the population is called for "heroic patience". In September 2025, information emerged that Moscow plans to criminalize news about water shortages - another example of the preferred method: not a solution, but silencing the truth.
Managing perception instead of solving problems
From Crimea to Donbas, water is one of the favorite tools of Kremlin manipulation. Myths about the "Ukrainian blockade", fantasies about underwater tunnels, and slogans about "heroic patience" follow the same pattern: Russia covers up its governance failures with propaganda stories.
When it cannot provide stability and basic services, it provides narratives. The taps may run dry, but propaganda never does.