Russian propaganda continues to produce fakes about life in the liberated territories of Kherson region. Enemy Telegram channels persuade their readers that Kherson residents are allegedly forced to collect money to purchase equipment for municipal services. But the reality is completely different. Data from public procurements and actual equipment deliveries prove: all these statements are yet another lie.
Russian outlets claim that money is being collected for utility workers.
“Municipal equipment that should be purchased with state funds was bought by the residents themselves, people collected money because accidents multiplied and there was nothing to work with. At the same time officials spoke of «full funding» and «millions for the municipal sector» that vanished without a trace”, – note the writers of the Telegram channel «Free Kherson».
Of course, we are dealing with complete nonsense. Equipment for Kherson municipal enterprises is purchased with state funds through the «Prozorro» system or provided by donors and international partners.
For example, from the moment Kherson was liberated from the Russians in the fall of 2022, only for the municipal enterprise «Parks of Kherson» a Renault Duster car, several trucks, a bunker truck, an LS1004 tractor and a ride-on lawn tractor were purchased. This equipment, as well as its maintenance and upkeep, cost the local budget tens of millions of hryvnias. Could Kherson residents have collected such an amount by “voluntary donations”? Hardly.
The same situation exists in other settlements on the right bank of the region. Recently municipal workers from Kochubeyivka received a brand-new tracked bulldozer, purchased for 5.2 million budget hryvnias. Considering the population of the community, each resident would have to “chip in” 4, or even 5 thousand hryvnias for it.
Although in some respects Russian propagandists did not lie, because the liberated territories of Kherson Oblast really still experience a shortage of municipal equipment. However, this is related to the actions of the occupiers themselves. Thus, in the fall of 2022 the invaders stole from Kherson almost all the equipment for winter road maintenance. It should also be noted that Kherson utility workers remain a priority target for Russian artillery and FPV drones.
The material was prepared as part of a project supported by the NGO Institute of Mass Information and CzechAid