Ukraine official pushes back on viral winter 'lockdown' rumor
Andrii Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, urged the public not to trust "assumptions" about the country's energy situation this winter, in a Telegram post on Aug. 17.
Ukraine's head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko, urged the public not to believe rumors about potential two-week lockdowns in Odesa, Kyiv, and Kharkiv this winter, after a video went viral on social media. Kovalenko clarified that no lockdowns occurred during the previous winter, noting that the previous ones were due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He stressed that the assumption circulating online is not factual and attributed the misinformation to someone not involved in winter preparations. Kovalenko advised the public to trust only those directly involved in these processes and urged less panic. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on August 6 that his ministry had initiated a Cabinet of Ministers decision for more efficient electricity distribution, with separate lists for winter and summer periods.
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