What from the 90s was reality, and what was manipulation and fakes

90s, blackouts, gas blackmail and Russia's first attempt to seize Crimea.

Many now draw parallels between the way we live and the 90s. Those who remember those years know that there were blackouts, interruptions in water supply, heat. And in general, the economic crisis. These are the years during which Russian propaganda often threatens that “Ukraine will catch up and return to the standard of living in the 90s.” What were those years like?

Blackout

Oksana Populiakh says that the blackouts experienced by Ukraine in the 90s and the ones we have now are similar only in experience.

“Obviously, the reasons for this are completely different. In the 1990s, there were blackouts. There were quite a few reasons. It is worth noting that not only Ukraine was going through difficult times at that time. All of this was caused primarily by the fact that the Soviet Union was disintegrating, the economy was transitioning to a market economy, and the established ties that existed in the USSR were breaking down. In the Union, the energy system was integral. After the withdrawal of Ukraine, it faced many problems, which can be called the reasons for blackouts.”

According to an expert of the fact-checking organization StopFake, in Ukraine in the 90s the lights were turned off for several reasons.

< p>«Economic crisis. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine faced a serious economic crisis. Inflation, unemployment and a lack of financial resources have significantly affected the state's ability to ensure a stable supply of electricity.

Deficit of energy carriers. In the 1990s and partly in the early 2000s, Ukraine experienced a serious shortage of energy carriers, such as coal, gas and oil, which were needed for the operation of power plants. Due to economic difficulties and problems with the supply of resources, power plants could not operate at full capacity.

Problems in the energy infrastructure. The energy infrastructure left over from the Soviet Union was outdated and in need of modernization. Frequent accidents and insufficient maintenance led to power outages. In the 2000s, thanks to international organizations, Ukraine was able to partially overcome this problem.

Political instability. Political instability and the lack of effective management of state resources made it difficult to solve energy problems.

Lack of a centralized management system.The collapse of the centralized management system led to disorganization in the energy sector, which also affected the stability of electricity supply. It took time to build a new decision-making vertical. Ukraine coped with this challenge successfully.

Dissolution of the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine lost access to the centralized energy supply system that existed within the Soviet Union. Many energy carriers were supplied from Russia and other republics of the USSR, which led to the breakdown of existing economic ties.

Obsolete infrastructure. The energy infrastructure left over from the Soviet Union was dilapidated and required significant investment for modernization. Lack of investment has led to frequent accidents and insufficient productivity of energy facilities.

Problems with gas supply. A significant part of electricity in Ukraine is produced at gas-fired power plants. Due to political and economic disputes with Russia, which was the main supplier of gas, there were problems with the supply of this important resource.

Low efficiency of use of resources. Ukraine's energy sector suffered from low resource efficiency. Many power plants and infrastructure facilities operated with low productivity and high energy losses.”

These factors together caused frequent blackouts and power outages in Ukraine in the 1990s. Russia speculated quite well on these reasons.

Gas dependence

Oksana Populiakh says that Ukraine's gas dependence on Russia began in the 90s. Russia first used the gas lever against Ukraine in 1993.

“Then, during the meeting between Leonid Kravchuk and Boris Yeltsin, they agreed to exchange part of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet to write off the first gas debt. This event showed how much Russia understood that gas is a very powerful lever of influence and blackmail. Following further events, we see that Russia actively used this method of blackmailing Ukraine. In 1994, Kyiv and Moscow signed the first intergovernmental gas agreement for 20 years. It was supposed to operate until 2005. The price of gas was determined additionally. We remember the “gas wars”: 2006, 2007. They showed how Russia can actively use this dependence in its interests.”

Russia often changed the prices of natural gas for Ukraine, depending on the political situation and relations between the countries. During periods of strained relations, gas prices could rise sharply, while during periods of more friendly relations, prices could be reduced.

“Russian propaganda at that time was not as structured as it is now. But they used the same methods. Russia was also going through bad times. But it is worth noting that they had a kind of pluralism in the mass media at that time. Therefore, there was no centralized propaganda. However, we can already see that the Kremlin broadcast certain ideas. “One nation”, for example. Also, that “economically we are united, and we should be together.” “Ukraine will die without Russia”.

Crimea has always been Russian for Russia. The first serious conflict occurred after the Duma of the Russian Federation adopted a resolution on July 9, 1993, according to which Sevastopol was considered to have Russian federal status and is the main base of the unified Black Sea Fleet.

“Ukraine put forward a claim to this resolutions But the very fact that Russia unilaterally made such a decision and publicly says that Sevastopol is considered a Russian subject already says something.” in 1994 calls on Russia to include Crimea in its composition.

“He started handing out Russian passports, introduced Russian time and tried to introduce a “ruble zone.'' Thanks to the special operation of the SBU, it all came to an end. After that, the Verkhovna Rada abolished the office of the president of Crimea. It was Russia's first attempt to seize the Crimean peninsula.”

Mental gap

Oksana Populiakh believes that our mental gap with Russia did not happen instantly with the collapse of the USSR.

“Russia infiltrated all spheres. The constant presence of Russian business in Ukraine, shares in Ukrainian companies, airing of Russian series on television, Russian talk shows. The Soviet Union fell apart, but the “unity” of people still existed for a long time. Russia has done a lot to preserve this mental connection.”

More about fakes

We will remind, according to the co-founder of “StopFake” Olga Yurkova, belief in fakes is explained by the peculiarities of human psychology. Fake news attracts people with its novelty. Fakes stand out in the news feed: they provoke much more emotions. It is known that a person's emotions are turned on first, and only then – the intellect. Since people are now more cautious about information, fakes are evolving.

Olena Churanova advised readers of Public Radio how to protect themselves from fakes. According to her, for this it is necessary to check all the information. And the easiest way not to fall for fakes, the fact-checker noted, is to organize an information check: check the sources you read. And if they spread something dubious, just remove them from your space. Consume verified information from verified, authoritative media.

Despite the fact that Ukrainians call Telegram their source of news and information, 20-30% of respondents do not remember the name of any Telegram channel to which they are subscribed. This was announced by the executive director of the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology, Anton Hrushetskyi, on the air of Public Radio.