Russian propaganda using the misery in occupied Donetsk to make Russians feel happy by comparison

 Translating from the Dialog:

"Media: Russia has begun using Donetsk in a new way as a negative example for Russians

Occupied Donetsk, once one of Ukraine's most prosperous regions, has become a zone of communal collapse, now used by Russian propaganda as a bogeyman and an example that life in Russia is "not that bad." Russian propagandists are urging Russians to tolerate domestic problems, "since things are much worse in Donetsk." This is according to journalist Denis Kazansky, who drew attention to the confessions of Russian propagandist Alexander Kots on Komsomolskaya Pravda radio. 

"Kots calls on Russian residents not to complain about disruptions to air travel and internet service and to be patient. He says that in Donetsk, they've been living for 11 years without planes, without water, or decent internet, and nothing's happened. First, they turned Donbas into a cesspool, and now they're threatening their own citizens with it. Amazing..." the journalist writes... 

According to Kazansky, Russian propagandists are exploiting the situation in Donetsk for domestic audiences, claiming that amid the devastation in the occupied city, Russians must "endure" flight cancellations, communication outages, and declining living standards. This approach, according to the journalist, demonstrates the cynicism of the authorities, who promised prosperity to Donbas but turned it into a survival zone."