Gas lies, blackmail: Kremlin deploying massive campaign against

A public relations expert, Artem Kovalenko, has said that Russia is pushing a new propaganda to drive a wedge between Kyiv and the European Union.

Artem, in an article authored in Kyiv, Ukraine, titled “Gas Lies And Blackmail: The Kremlin Deploys A Massive Campaign Against Ukraine In Europe,” also said a large-scale Russian’s disinformation campaign has been launched in Europe, aimed at discrediting Ukraine through false accusations of “energy terrorism.”

He further said Kremlin-aligned media, are spreading manipulative claims alleging that Kyiv plans to halt energy supplies to the European Union. “In particular, Kremlin’s propaganda outlets push narratives that Ukraine’s alleged “energy blackmail threatens Europeans” and that the “Druzhba” oil pipeline and gas transit routes are at risk of being blocked by the Ukrainian authorities. But these claims have no evidence to support them.

“The Kremlin’s goal is to sow distrust between Ukraine and its European partners, portray Kyiv as an unreliable ally, and weaken the level of international support. In fact, it is Russia that uses energy resources as a weapon and a tool of geopolitical pressure,” Artem said.

He added that in addition to information attacks, Moscow continues to physically destroy energy infrastructure of Ukraine.

“It is Russia that refuses to end the war and is responsible for strikes on energy infrastructure that affect European countries.

“Russian forces are constantly striking Ukraine’s power generation, gas production, and energy transmission infrastructure. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine’s oil infrastructure has been attacked more than 400 times. In particular, the Russian strike on January 27, 2026, inflicted substantial damage on the “Druzhba” pipeline in the Brody area. Technological and auxiliary equipment was seriously damaged,” he stated.

Artem also said amidst Russia’s ongoing energy terror, Ukrainian energy companies face significant challenges in ensuring the seamless and reliable functioning of the system.

“Due to constant shelling, Ukraine has lost 11.5 GW of power capacity, while total material losses in the energy sector have reached $24.8 billion.“At the same time, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is issuing a fuel ultimatum to Ukraine, demanding uninterrupted supplies. Later, it was reported that Hungary had given Ukraine three days to restore the “Druzhba” pipeline to full operation.

“However, international experts and politicians say Budapest’s actions appear to be a form of pressure, as Orban is effectively trying to leverage the issue of oil transit to push for the unblocking of financial loans for Kyiv,” Artem stated.