2024-04-09 16:36:00
On VKontakte, regarding eight thousand comments from pro-government bots have appeared under posts regarding flooding in the Orenburg region since April 4. “Verstka” writes regarding this with reference to data from the “Botnadzor” project. As the publication notes, three main narratives can be distinguished in the bot comments: defense of the actions of local authorities, praise for the Ministry of Emergency Situations and, separately, President Vladimir Putin.
In defense of the regional authorities, the bots write that residents were allegedly warned in advance regarding the need to evacuate: “There was a warning a week in advance, but ignoring people is their responsibility, now there is a forced evacuation.”
Such comments, as noted by “Layout”, support the position of the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations Alexander Kurenkov, who on April 7 stated, that the evacuation of the city was announced “a week ago.” At the same time, two days before the dam break, the mayor of Orsk Vasily Kozupitsa claimedthat there is no threat of flooding.
Another part of the comments is devoted to the work of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. In particular, the bots praise the department’s employees for their “coordinated work” and also call them “handsome guys” who “do everything they can.” The bots also note that Kurenkov “promptly” arrived in Orsk: “Well, they constantly show us that the Ministry of Emergency Situations is doing everything possible to clean up the flood, it’s not just that Kurenkov arrived, now the work will go even faster.”
The last narrative highlighted by Vestkaya journalists concerns Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the comments, the bots write that he keeps the situation under “special control” and is doing “everything possible to prevent the flood situation.” They also emphasize that the president does not need to personally go to the Orenburg region, since the head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations already works there, and Putin is “not a rescuer following all.”
In the Orenburg region, on April 4, due to the flood, a regional emergency regime was introduced. On the evening of April 5, a bulk dam broke in Orsk, following which the city began to flood. Later, several new breakthroughs appeared. On April 7, authorities declared a federal state of emergency in the region. By data On the morning of April 9, more than ten thousand houses were flooded in the region, regarding six and a half thousand residents were evacuated.
After the dam broke, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov stated several times that Putin was being informed of the situation. Later, Peskov said that the president does not plan to come to flooded Orsk and other areas affected by the flood. “Putin, in fact, although he is not physically there, he is constantly present on this topic. He constantly deals with these issues throughout the day,” the spokesman added.
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