The Telegraph reveals the role of social media in Moscow’s propaganda campaign for the Russification of the occupied Ukrainian city
(Sorry unable to embed video)
Pro-Putin influencers spread Russian propaganda Credit: TikTok/kosmonavt_donbassa/cupuyc_kupull/elizabethcherv
20 December 2025
Elizaveta Chervyakova poses in front of a high-rise building in occupied Mariupol that is being rebuilt into a block of luxury apartments.
She ignores the fact that the building was once home to hundreds of Ukrainians before it was obliterated by Russian bombs during Moscow’s three-month siege in 2022.
In videos that garner thousands of views, the 21-year-old blogger paints a rosy picture of the coastal city returning to life as part of a Putin-era mega project of “magical” new apartment complexes, shopping centres and neighbourhoods.
In an interview, Ms Chervyakova insists that the Russian-occupied city is not a “ghost town” and that she wants to “dispel any myths” that it is not a good place to live.
But a Telegraph investigation has found she is one of a growing number of social media influencers who are becoming increasingly key to a co-ordinated Kremlin-led propaganda campaign to promote the Russification of the city and of life flourishing under Russian rule.
Moscow’s 85-day offensive against the city on the Sea of Azov killed between 20,000 and 88,000 civilians and damaged or destroyed 90 per cent of the city’s residential buildings. Hundreds of thousands of people fled, leaving just 100,000 of its original residents.
Since then, Moscow has poured billions of roubles into remaking the city in a Russian mould by 2025, a plan significantly behind schedule as a result of the scale of devastation its military inflicted. The local influencers are key to pumping out positive updates and pro-Kremlin narratives.
Four influencers living in Mariupol explained how their aim was to show Vladimir Putin’s “amazing” development of the city and dismissed accusations of them being propagandists, instead presenting themselves as truth tellers.
It is unclear if all the influencers receive direct funding or guidance from Russian authorities. None of those interviewed would discuss such a link.
One blogger, Kirill Sazonov, is accused of selling properties that belong to Ukrainians who fled the war, a claim that he strongly denies. The houses he tries to sell are often older and found in poorer, run-down districts, clearly distinct from the new developments.
Kirill Sazonov advertises property in occupied Ukraine Credit: TikTok/cupuyc_kupull
Mr Sazonov, 37, originally from Donetsk, said the real estate business was “good, growing gradually”. Shrugging off the criticism he receives online, he said: “If I’m making videos, if I’m popular, of course there’s hate.”
The influencers fail to mention why the city needs to be rebuilt or the dire conditions the residents living under Russian occupation face. The remaining Ukrainians suffer from a chronic housing shortage, a collapsed medical system, a persistent water crisis and the absence of critical workers.
The Russian invasion took a heavy toll on of Mariupol’s buildings
As of April 29, 2025 European satellite Sentinel-1A (ESA), processed by Masae Analytics
Damage inflicted on Mariupol
In her videos, Ms Chervyakova is determinedly upbeat and admiring of the changes the new city administration is making.
“The city is developing,” she said. “It has its challenges, but so does every city…Yes, there are still some buildings that are still destroyed that spoil the view.”
As part of his mega project in Mariupol, Putin signed a decree in late November instructing officials to use “media and internet resources, including social networks, video hosting sites, instant messengers and blogs” to disseminate content aimed at “strengthening civil unity” in the occupied territories.
The new “blogging schools”, opening across occupied territories that have the clear patronage of Russian-installed administrations, appear to be a result of this.
The Donbass Media Center (DMC) opened a blogging school in Mariupol in September 2024, following similar schemes in the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk and later Melitopol. It offers free two-week courses for those aged 16-25 on how to build an audience on Russian platforms. Ms Chervyakova is a graduate.
One of its instructors is Pavel Karbovsky, 24, who is known as “Donbas Cosmonaut” online. He has racked up millions of views online encouraging people to visit the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, portraying Mariupol as a beach, food and clubbing destination.
Mr Karbovsky, who grew up in Donetsk region, said his aim was to show the city’s “amazing” development. He unequivocally states in his videos that Mariupol and Donetsk are part of Russia.
Through his work at the DMC, “a lot of talented kids have emerged thanks to us… we taught them how to film, how to create great content”, he told The Telegraph.
Mr Karbovsky said he did not know whether it was funded by the Russian government – but it would be “cool” if it was. His name appears on Ukraine’s unofficial database of “enemies” of the state accused of colluding with Moscow.
The organisation that runs the DMC is partnered with “Russia – Land of Opportunities”, a Kremlin-funded presidential programme that invests in bloggers throughout Russia and the “new regions”.
Its 2025 winner was Irina Mishina, a pro-Russia blogger from occupied Luhansk, who said her goal was to “show real life of our republic: not through politics or conflicts, but through people’s stories, through the revival of our cities, and through the eyes of our youth”.
Mr Sazonov, who also has ties to the DMC, has tens of thousands of followers and posts about reconstruction efforts in Mariupol and encourages Russians to invest in real estate.
He posted videos from inside and outside a property believed to have belonged to Ukrainians who fled during their siege. Their belongings, including paintings on the walls and furniture, remain.
The United Nations estimates that out of 38,000 homes identified as abandoned in the occupied territories, nearly 12,800 are in Mariupol. Experts argue that the overall goal is to seize the homes in order to facilitate the transfer of Russian citizens to the captured cities and towns.
But behind the Potemkin facade, exiled city officials and human rights groups argue that just like the fake villages once built to impress Catherine the Great, it is little more than a propaganda exercise.
Russia’s development of Mariupol includes reconstructing the Drama Theatre, which its forces destroyed in 2022
The Mariupol Theatre was reduced to rubble following Russian shellingCredit: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
Elina Beketova, a fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), whose research focuses on occupied territories, said: “All the bloggers appear to have been given the same task – to emphasise the redevelopment work Russia is doing.
“The same information circulates on social media channels and it looks like the same co-ordinated effort to show how much better it is to live under Russian control than Ukrainian.”
Petro Andriushchenko, a former adviser to the Ukrainian mayor of Mariupol and the head of the Centre for the Study of the Occupation, said the overwhelming “culture of surveillance” in the occupied territories meant “it is impossible to tell the truth in public”.
“People think they are seeing independent opinions from bloggers on social media channels, but it’s impossible to be independent,” he told The Telegraph.
“Every single person making content, blogs, vlogs, from the occupied territories is somebody under Russian control,” he added, arguing that if they were not, they would be quickly detained or brought to heel.
According to Yulia Gorbunova, a senior Ukraine researcher at Human Rights Watch, the social media campaign “is part-and-parcel of Russian propaganda efforts to erase Ukraine’s history, replace its art, language and historical landmarks, and influence the young”.
The fabric of the city – now twinned with St Petersburg – has been fundamentally redesigned in a deliberate attempt to Russify Mariupol and its residents, she said.
Streets have been renamed, monuments removed, the tricolour flag drapes from buildings, only Russian-speaking television is shown, number plates have been changed and the Russian curriculum imposed on schools.
On top of that, there is a “whole range of occupation-related abuses”, Ms Gorbunova said, including illegal home seizures, unlawful conscription of civilians into the Russian military, coercing remaining residents to obtain a Russian passport and the indoctrination, militarisation and deportation of children.
Several months after capturing the city, Moscow produced a “master plan” for the city, which was widely discovered to be plagiarised from an outdated Ukrainian plan for 2016 and ignored the city-wide destruction caused by the Russian bombardment.
Critics argued that it focused on just regeneration in the historic city centre and the Azovstal steelworks, instead of the levelled residential districts, where most lost their homes.
“Literally everything in the city is being updated – from the master plan to the dog shelter, from transportation to bus stops, from the theatre to city parks and beaches,” the statement said.
These “influencers”, or genocide-loving nazi vermin as they should be more correctly referred to, are badly in need of a visit from Atesh.
Same goes for the project managers of the construction going on.
The comments section was absolutely swamped with filthy kremtrolls. Here are a couple of comments from decent people :
Thomas Glover
Does nobody else remember the fall of Vichy France. That black time when the French who supported the Third Reich in it’s efforts to bring France to within the Aryan fold collapsed?
Let’s just say there were some very ugly scenes. Who would want to be living in a Ukrainians flat when, or if, he returns with the Ukrainian army to “discuss” ownership?
And just look at the palatial accommodation the video shows you can get for a mere billion Roubles? OK I know that’s about £9,500 but even with a gas cylinder thrown in it’s hardly a little vision of paradise is it?
I have to wonder what hell the potential buyers are coming FROM!
Grundfos Thermowell
Reply to Thomas Glover
I saw an interview with Putin where he said he was concerned about some Russian cities built on permafrost which is melting. Presumably this land grab is to re house Russians from there?
Thomas Jones
Propaganda. Most of the city is still heavily damaged. Satellite images and investigations show that large parts of Mariupol remain in ruins or are simply cleared of rubble, not rebuilt. Only a small fraction of destroyed housing has been restored so far, around 5 % of lost homes. Most of the rebuilds are in the city centre, so views out of the windows will be rubble all around.
Hilary Deighton
God bless Ukraine and all who support this brave nation.
There are many good people who write here who will never meet, but who are decent, thoughtful, reasoned, principled and often funny and whom I know I would wish to. I’m proud to support Ukraine and look forward to the day when these columns and responses are not necessary.
Patrick Schrabauer
Reply to Hilary Deighton –
Yes, Hilary, that day will come, when we can all relax into different threads and the DT can finally close this chapter. But it isn’t yet. Not until responsibility is taken, and steps are strategically aligned rather than echoing Putin’s tune in a thousand subtle ways.
What’s needed is a shift from constant reaction to consciously defining the present, and the future, of this continent, and of the families who live here. People with deep souls and plenty of humour, whose children should never have to fear being killed or maimed by the whims of amateur emperors or end-of-life billionaires.
Peace to the world. And peace begins within us, and between us, in the smallest of gestures. Like this one.
Matthew Matic
May the New Year be happier for Ukrainians than the dozen since their neighbour from hell began its misery spreading mission in earnest.
Hilary Deighton
Reply to Matthew Matic
Every blessing this Christmastide – may the coming year bring a better world for Ukraine and all people of goodwill (the angels’ message is very specific about that!)
Ben Harraway
It’s complete insanity from idiotic Russians that huge areas of Russia are becoming uninhabitable due to a lack of infrastructure investment! but no instead of investing in Russia let’s transfer a load of money into rebuilding the areas of Ukraine that Russia has destroyed and will never truly be Russian!
Keyboard Warrior
This just shows you how psychopaths minds function. I would let the Russians build up the city and then recommend the Ukrainians flatten it once it’s complete.
Kremtroll vermin :
Richard Gilchrist
The old decrepit Mariupol had to be demolished in 2022 for health and humanitarian reasons in order for it to be redeveloped into a now beautiful city.
The beautifully rebuilt theatre has its first performance on the 25th December.
Book your tickets now to avoid disappointment.
Hilary Deighton
Reply to Richard Gilchrist
No sane human being could write such sickening lies unless knowingly sending up Russia’s disgusting propaganda – which nobody is swallowing for a minute.
David R Crawford
Reply to Richard Gilchrist –
It defies belief that somebody could post such blatant Putin Apologism.
In 2022 Putin’s illegal, barbaric and brutal reinvasion of Ukraine destroyed Mariupol. THAT was how come it was “old decrepit” and had reasons of “health and humanitarian”.
Hundreds if not thousands were murdered by Putin. And you literally dance on their graves with this manure! Because I just cannot take that post as being crudely ironic/sarcastic.
Simon Frearson
Perhaps Ukraine could send a couple of flamingos to visit Mariupol Theatre and the Vostochny microdistrict – show the Orks what it’s like?
The russian soul is filled with hate, low self-esteem, and a desire to transfer his misery onto others, who are doing better. This is the case with mafia land’s yearning to bring Ukraine down to its own low level of squalor.
Mariupol is just one example of many Ukrainian cities and towns that were transformed by the roaches from being wonderful, living, vibrant communities into the dead, dreary, and dilapidated mess they are now, equal to your average russian shithole settlement.