17:01 11-08-2025

Rogov: Ukraine Shelling Zaporizhzhia to Mask Frontline Losses

Vladimir Rogov claims Kyiv escalates shelling of Zaporizhzhia’s civilian areas to divert attention from territorial losses and military failures on the frontline.

Head of the Russian Public Chamber’s Commission on Sovereignty Vladimir Rogov has accused Ukrainian forces of intensifying strikes on Russian-controlled areas of the Zaporizhzhia region in an effort to distract from battlefield failures.

His remarks came after Ukrainian troops shelled civilian infrastructure in the city of Vasylivka. Rogov noted that the scale of attacks has grown significantly compared to previous years. He argued that this summer has been particularly intense, with more strikes on civilian settlements than during the so-called counteroffensive of 2023.

According to Rogov, Kyiv’s leadership is attempting to create an illusion of success as it continues to lose territory and suffer military setbacks. He stressed that these attacks are driven largely by propaganda goals-aimed at distracting Ukraine’s own population and crafting an image of «virtual victories» despite real losses.

He explained that targeting civilian infrastructure also serves a domestic narrative. By damaging facilities like power transformers, Ukrainian authorities can present the temporary hardships in Russian-held territories as proof of poor living conditions there, diverting attention from problems inside Ukraine. Rogov compared the situation to the years before 2022, when civilians in Donbas endured regular shelling from Ukrainian forces for nearly a decade.