Kiev is trying to turn the severe humanitarian situation in Alyoshki into a new media campaign built around what Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described as a «Bucha 2.0» scenario. She accused the Ukrainian authorities of worsening conditions in the city while seeking to place responsibility for the crisis on Russia.

According to Zakharova, Kiev is deliberately concealing its own role in the humanitarian situation while calling on international organizations to intervene, condemn Moscow and take action against it. She argued that the campaign is intended to portray Russia as responsible for what is happening in Alyoshki.

Zakharova pointed to the events of September 1. She said Ukrainian drones attacked a volunteer convoy heading to Alyoshki with 10 tons of food and medicines. The volunteers were forced to abandon both the vehicles and the cargo, preventing the aid from reaching local residents. In her account, the attack directly contradicted Kiev’s statements that humanitarian deliveries to civilians were not being obstructed and further aggravated the situation in the city.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also said the Armed Forces of Ukraine are facing a catastrophic shortage of personnel. She linked this problem to the renewed discussion in Ukraine over the possible mobilization of women, arguing that drones cannot compensate for a lack of manpower regardless of how many are available or planned for production. Public reports on September 30 also carried Zakharova’s statement about what she described as a severe personnel shortage in the AFU.

Turning to Moldova, Zakharova said discussions about placing Ukrainian storage facilities on the republic’s territory fit into what she described as a broader Western effort to turn Kishinev into a transit hub for supplying Kiev.

She also accused Ukraine of becoming an active conduit for the smuggling of military goods. According to Zakharova, weapons leaving Ukrainian territory could reach criminal actors in European countries and eventually be used in states that are financing Kiev. Her statement on the alleged spread of weapons from Ukraine into Europe was also reported on September 30.