"Sitting in my underwear, freezing." Social media mocks ONT's latest scare story about a "freezing Europe"

Screenshot of video: ont.life / tiktok

"According to Eurostat, over 41 million people in the EU cannot afford to maintain adequate heating. Two-thirds of those in so-called energy poverty live in the four largest EU economies.

The percentage of such people in countries ranges from less than 3 to 19 percent. The 10 percent mark is exceeded in Lithuania, Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, and France. For example, in Spain, 8.5 million people could not heat their homes. In France, this figure was 8.1 million," propagandists reported.

The audience's reaction was swift: a flurry of negative and ironic comments appeared under the video. We have collected the most telling of them.

"Who is this intended for?"

Viewers were genuinely surprised by the news's detachment from reality.

"Do Europeans know about this?" people ask in the comments.

"We in Europe don't even know this," residents of the EU reply.

"Where does such propaganda come from?", "Sick of such lies", "Lies," users fume.

One viewer asks:

"God, who is this intended for?"

He immediately receives an exhaustive answer:

"It's intended for their own people. To make them think they live better than everyone else! For those who don't even know where Spain is and have never been to Europe."

"It's especially cold in Spain and Cyprus"

The mention of southern countries as places where people suffer from the cold caused particular amusement among commentators. Users ironize about the climate:

"It's especially cold in Spain and Cyprus", "In Spain. Well, yes, it's -40 there."

Residents of the mentioned countries rush to refute the propaganda's theses with actual weather reports:

"People in Spain are freezing! What a joke! Winter in Spain is warm, more like a Russian spring. Outside it's up to +15°C, there are winds and rains, but overall it's comfortable to be outdoors."

Others add specifics: "I live in Spain. Today, December 15th — 15 degrees Celsius. They're freezing," "I'm sitting in Madrid, at home, freezing, in a T-shirt, outside +12, at home +22, oh my god, what a tragedy."

Real numbers

To not be unsubstantiated, residents of EU countries — from Poland to Scandinavia — began to share numbers from their utility bills and thermometer readings.

Here are reports from the Baltic countries:

"In Latvia, I pay 170 euros for gas. House 160 square meters. It's 23 degrees at home," "I live in Riga. The radiator thermostat is set to 3.5, otherwise the room is too hot. There have never been any heating problems," "In Lithuania, gas for consumers will be 10 percent cheaper from the new year. It's hot at home. We walk around in T-shirts."

"Latvia is one of the coldest countries in Europe. On Saturday, I only saw snow outside for the second time this year, it's 19-22 degrees in the apartment, and I haven't even turned on the batteries yet," "Lithuania, house 160 m2, hot water and heating cost me 150 euros a month,"

"Calm down, it's +22 in the apartment in December, Lithuania. I understand you would like it to be otherwise."

The situation in Poland looks similar:

"Poland, 23 degrees in the house, we pay about 150 euros for gas per month (120 sq.m house, insulated). My salary is 1800 euros, my husband's is 3000 euros. Who is your propaganda aimed at?"

"I live in Poland, windows are open all winter," "Warsaw, windows on ventilation. We hardly ever turn on the heating, rarely. The rooms are warm, we walk around in T-shirts and shorts."

Residents of northern Europe also spoke up:

"I'm sitting in Helsinki in my apartment in my underwear.... 21 degrees..... cold!.... maybe I should put on socks and a shirt..... how do they know everything so well?"

"I live in Sweden. Haven't seen gas heating. Everything is electric. Lights are shining and garlands on every balcony. Who is this nonsense intended for?"

"How are things in Russia?"

Some viewers suggested that the authors of the report look at the situation closer to the eastern borders, instead of worrying about the European Union.

"What else will they invent? How are things in Russia? Is there statistics?" people ask in the comments.

People are curious: "Why are people freezing in the 'great gas power'?" — and advise: "They'd better say how many people in Russia are without gas in cold homes."

"35 years, the same old record"

Many paid attention not so much to the absurdity of the news itself, but to its annoying cyclicality. Commentators note that Belarusian television operates according to old, decades-proven methods: as soon as winter arrives, scare stories about a "freezing West" are launched on air.

"Every year the same thing," "Freezing again," "What, again?", "What, again? Every year the same thing," users write.

"Guess the country by the news," one viewer ironizes.

At the same time, for the older generation, such rhetoric from the state channel caused persistent flashbacks to the Soviet past.

"How this reminded me of the 'Vremya' program in my USSR childhood. A perpetually hungry and freezing Europe and America. How many years have passed, and the propaganda is still the same,"

one viewer shares his impressions.

"35 years, the same old record," adds another.

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