Pro-Kremlin outlets in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic are portraying Ukraine as weeks or months away from military, economic and infrastructure collapse, while spreading an unsupported claim that President Volodymyr Zelensky is preparing to flee.
The reports, published on 10 and 11 September 2026 by Pogled and Nová republika, present a picture of a Ukrainian state losing control of its territory, banking system and political leadership. Their claims are contradicted by Ukraine’s recent battlefield performance, continued international financial support and the operation of its banking and energy systems. Pogled reported that Kyiv could lose control of the Donbas within six months and face the collapse of its financial, energy and communications networks.
In a separate article, Nová republika cited Russian propagandist Alexander Kazakov, who claimed during a broadcast on the Russian radio station Komsomolskaya Pravda that Mr Zelensky would flee this autumn. The alleged reason was fear of British mercenaries and MI6 agents, as well as Ukrainian “Nazis” who would supposedly kill him if Kyiv accepted Moscow’s terms.
Battlefield claims outpace the evidence
The suggestion of an imminent Ukrainian military collapse does not match the supplied account of developments on the front. Despite sustained Russian pressure, Ukraine’s armed forces are holding defensive positions while also conducting offensive and counter-offensive operations.
Ukrainian forces reclaimed 130 sq km in August, while Russian troops captured about 90 sq km. During the Lyman operation at the beginning of September, Ukraine regained control of up to 200 sq km of occupied territory. Those results demonstrate that Ukrainian forces retain combat capability and operational flexibility, and can do more than contain Russian advances: they can also recover lost ground.
Russian troops continue to attempt offensive operations but have not achieved their stated objectives and have suffered significant losses of personnel and equipment, according to the material. Ukraine’s layered defences, drones, intelligence, remote mining and other capabilities have enabled it to inflict substantial losses while holding key positions.
The prediction that Kyiv will inevitably lose control of the Donbas within six months therefore functions less as a military assessment than as a propaganda forecast designed to create the impression of an unavoidable Ukrainian defeat. Ukraine has also shown that it can strike Russian military infrastructure well behind the front line, including airfields, defence-industry facilities, oil-processing sites and logistical hubs. Those attacks force Moscow to commit additional resources to protecting its rear and complicate the supply of its forces.
Infrastructure under attack, but systems remain operating
Russia’s systematic attacks on energy and other critical civilian infrastructure since the summer pose a real threat. Their stated strategic purpose, according to the material, is to create a humanitarian crisis, destabilise Ukrainian society and weaken public resilience in the hope of forcing Kyiv to accept Russian demands for capitulation.
But severe damage does not automatically amount to an infrastructure collapse. Since the beginning of 2026, international partners have delivered more than 4,700 items of energy equipment, including generators, transformers, modular boiler houses, cogeneration units and boilers. In early September, Ukrainian regions received energy equipment worth almost €2.5m, funded by Lithuania, Australia, Sweden and the UK through the Ukraine Energy Support Fund.
The financial-collapse narrative is similarly undermined by continuing backing from the EU and international financial institutions. To meet Ukraine’s financing needs in 2026 and 2027, the EU has supported a €90bn loan, with €30bn allocated to budgetary needs and €60bn for defence.
On 11 September, the European Commission also approved €6.1bn for air and missile-defence systems, ammunition, drones and electronic-warfare equipment, including the possible purchase of PAC-3 missiles for Patriot systems.
A familiar attempt to manufacture political breakdown
The claims about a banking collapse are not supported by the position described by the International Monetary Fund. Ukrainian banks remain operational, online banking continues to function, non-cash payments are operating normally, and the sector retains adequate capital and liquidity. That does not mean the country faces no economic problems or losses, but it is materially different from the Russian propaganda scenario of an imminent financial breakdown.
Pogled is described as a Bulgarian outlet that regularly promotes Kremlin-aligned narratives and anti-Western rhetoric, including material republished from Russian state media. Disinformation researchers have repeatedly identified it as a platform for fabricated analytical forecasts and manipulation. Nová republika presents itself as an alternative Czech media outlet but relies on Russian propaganda sources; Czech analytical centres have repeatedly listed it among platforms involved in Kremlin disinformation and information-psychological operations.
The story of Mr Zelensky’s supposed autumn escape is part of the same effort to portray Ukraine’s leadership as on the verge of disintegration. Since the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine’s political and military leadership has continued to work in Kyiv despite repeated Russian missile and drone attacks. The conspiracy about MI6 agents and Ukrainian nationalist groups allegedly threatening the president is intended to create expectations of an imminent change of power rather than describe an established development.
The immediate challenge for Kyiv is therefore not a demonstrated collapse, but the combined pressure of Russian attacks and an information campaign aimed at convincing audiences that collapse is inevitable before it has occurred.
How should Ukraine and its partners respond most effectively to predictions of collapse that are contradicted by events on the ground?
