Dismissing statehood through the depiction of Ukraine as a “project”

What it claims

Power disruptions, problems in municipal institutions, and staff shortages are presented as proof that Ukraine is a “project” incapable of existing. A channel styled as a city digest reduces varied local reports to one picture of state collapse. Derogatory labels for officials, event participants, and state institutions replace explanations of causes and circumstances.

Target audience

Examples (paraphrased)

We paraphrase rather than quote: propaganda's exact wording is built to spread, so we carry the claim and not the craft. Each example cites the post it came from.

• Power cuts, vacancies, and difficulties at the water utility show that Ukraine is not a state but merely a “project.”

  Лохматый Z Николаев, 25 Aug 2026

  t.me/L0HMATIY/37836

• Participants in patriotic events are not mobilized, while other men are forcibly taken into the army.

  Лохматый Z Николаев, 24 Aug 2026

  t.me/L0HMATIY/37802

We link archived copies rather than the posts themselves, so that checking our work sends no traffic to the source. Where a platform cannot be archived, we print the post's address instead of linking it.

Goal

To deepen distrust of state institutions among civilians and military-connected families by persuading them that everyday difficulties mean the state is incapable.

Techniques used

• Loaded LanguageUkraine is called a “project,” while state institutions and officials are described with degrading labels.
• Causal OversimplificationPower disruptions, staff vacancies, and problems at a municipal enterprise are reduced to a conclusion that the entire state is incapable.

The real grievance it exploits

Anxiety about electricity, water, access to education, and the safe functioning of municipal institutions, as well as the effects of mobilization on families and communities.

How to counter

• Technique exposure: Notice the assembly: different subjects—electricity, education, water, and city events—are combined into a conclusion about an “incapable state,” although the posts themselves do not establish such a causal link.
• Reframe: Problems with services for residents and staff shortages are grounds to demand explanations and solutions; they do not turn a state into an invented “project.”

Sources (all time)

• Лохматый Z НиколаевTier 135,197 subscribers
  2 posts · 24–25 Aug 2026

  • 25 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37836
  • 24 Aug · t.me/L0HMATIY/37802
• FREE KHERSONTier 39,351 subscribers
  2 posts · 30 Aug 2026

  • 30 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/18097
  • 30 Aug · t.me/free_kherson_z/18084