Russia’s New Potemkin Cities

The humanitarian crisis in Donbas is worsening, revealing the Kremlin’s neglect of its “new regions” in Ukraine and promising a bitter future.

Source: dan-news.ru

Residents of Donetsk, the “City of Roses,” where football stars and world-famous musicians once filled stadiums with adoring fans, say it’s now worse even than a provincial town from the 1980s, where people stand in line for water and struggle to survive. 

It is the largest city in Donbas, the region most affected by Russia’s imperial war, and its deterioration and scarce access to basic utilities after 11 years of occupation reflect the Kremlin’s lack of interest in areas it has seized — even those where it “rescued” Russian minorities from Kyiv’s supposed tyranny.

Constant destruction from the war has brought massive challenges for people in the region, and Moscow has repeatedly botched its response, failing to deliver a decent life for those it now claims as citizens.  

Water supplies have suffered since the 2022 full-scale invasion, and nine out of 10 reservoirs in the region are close to drying up, according to an analysis of satellite images by the BBC. In August, the situation became critical, and tap water is still only available in Donetsk for a couple of hours every three days.  

People tired of waiting in long lines have been digging wells in their yards, collecting rain water — even from puddles — and fighting to get hold of the most basic requirements for life. Despite a clear risk of waterborne disease, Moscow persists in ignoring the growing crisis.  

Even otherwise loyal propagandists have appeared bewildered by the lack of action from the occupation administration.  

“It takes a lot of effort to bring the best city in Donbas to such a condition in seven years,” Veterans Notes, a popular Russian military propaganda channel, said in a posting on Telegram.  “Donetsk has gone from being the best and most prosperous city in Donbas to simply a caricature for the Ukrainian media: anti-advertising for ‘Russia World’.” 

The occupation administration says that if Russia manages to capture Sloviansk, another major city in the Donbas region, then the water supply will improve. But there are serious doubts that even this would help, according to an analysis by the New York Times.  

The current water supply system is heavily damaged by war, and a pipeline from Russia built by the occupation administration is losing up to 60% of the water it carries. The Donbas is meanwhile suffering an acute drought as rainfall patterns change. 

New projects proposed by the administration, such as improved water pipelines, have been dismissed as ostentatious, belated, and inefficient, leaving the region with the prospect of a harsh winter without either water or electricity.  

And the future beyond winter is also bleak, since Donbas is heavily dependent on supplies from non-occupied Ukraine, and Ukraine has shut down supplies from its sources. 

While Donetsk is being left to rot, Russian authorities are splurging on reconstructing Mariupol, on the Donbas coast. While residents still only get a couple of hours of intermittent water supply every two days, Moscow is making a big show of pouring billions of dollars into rebuilding a city it razed to the ground in 2022. About 20,000 residents were reported to have been killed during Russia’s bombardment. 

The Kremlin promised to finish the reconstruction this year, but it is still far from complete. Thousands of pre-war residents have been deprived of their flats and left with minimal compensation as residential complexes are built on the site of their former homes.  

The authorities want the city to be a poster child for Russia as a state that cherishes and develops the land it has occupied. In reality, many residents are struggling to find a place to live despite all the images of construction work. 

In the 18th century, during Catherine II’s trips around her Empire, Grigory Potemkin, who was governor general of her southern possessions, is said to have constructed fake settlements to conceal the disastrous conditions of the country.  

Mariupol appears to be taking the role of a modern-day Potemkin city, although this time it’s the Kremlin that is seeking to deceive the people. It hopes to give the illusion of rebirth and prosperity while hiding the humanitarian disaster happening across the occupied territories.  

Many of those who stayed are not there by choice, but out of despair. There is a critical shortage of housing for displaced people evacuated from war zones, and some internally displaced people from the occupied parts of Ukraine had to return due to a lack of support from Kyiv.  

The mounting humanitarian crisis should prompt Kyiv to revisit its policies towards internally displaced people, and support them with their basic needs, to ensure they will not have to return until their hometowns are liberated. 

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By Mykyta Vorobiov. Mykyta (Nikita) Vorobiov is a political analyst and a Master`s student at the University of Oxford, pursuing an MSc in Russian and East European Studies.  Article first time published on CEPA web page. Prepared for publication by volunteers from the Res Publica - The Center for Civil Resistance.