BBC news network contacted citizens living in its occupied territories Ukrainian. Speakers’ names have been deliberately falsified to prevent their identification and harassment. Russian troops.

Boris lives in Kherson a city with about 280,000 inhabitants before the start of the war last February. Of these, about 140,000 remained en route. The remaining 140,000 left, seeking asylum either in other regions of Ukraine or abroad.

“Many people disappeared in the first months, when the new rulers of the city persecuted everyone they considered loyal to Kyiv.” In fact, during this period of harassment/disappearance, one could see posts on the streets and on social media with the faces and names of missing persons who were wanted by relatives or friends.

It is said that those who remained in the city where “Boris” lives, and who were lucky enough to escape captivity, “adapted” along the way. Now their main concern was to avoid Russian troops on the road and to stay away from Russian roadblocks.

Another concern for many was to erase from their cell phones and computers any trace of material that could be considered “incriminating”. Otherwise, the picture that came out, at least for a while, was one of false calm, with a deserted city and a few residents cycling through a “post-apocalyptic” landscape.

However, since mid-July, employees of the Russian special services began to flock to the city of Boris and make themselves felt, and in the period before the September referendums, these flows even intensified.

As for the Russian ruble, it has not yet been fully accepted in the occupied territories, although its use is being spread at the expense of the Ukrainian hryvnia. The banks operating in these regions are all Russian, and in order to be able to open an account there, you need to have a Russian passport. At the same time, anyone who wants to get a job in the municipal service needs to have a Russian passport.

“In this way they are trying to attract as many Ukrainians as possible to obtain Russian citizenship,” Boris says, although it is worth noting that holders of Russian passports have so far been more likely to be recruited as part of the ongoing partial conscription in Russia. .

The education system is also under Russian control. However, citing the threat of Covid-19, many parents are leaving their children at home, where they continue to attend the Ukrainian online education program. “Children attend online classes in Ukrainian schools using the Russian Internet and Western VPNs. It’s quite ironic,” Boris says.

However, since May, many Russian propaganda posters have appeared on the streets of Kherson. Others of these posters send the message that the Russians are back to stay. Some refer to the city’s Russian past, others urge residents to obtain Russian passports, or follow the example of celebrities who were born in what is now Ukraine but dedicated their lives to Russia.

However, compared to Kherson, in Mariupol, where “Alex” lives, the situation is even worse, as the BBC also told.

“The Russians went from house to house, destroying everything connected with Ukraine. Ukrainian symbols and many books were burned in my house,” says “Aleksey”.

When the siege of Mariupol ended in late May, Russian soldiers gradually retreated, leaving pro-Russian separatists from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic as “commanders”.

The city had problems with electricity and water supply. Thousands of houses were destroyed and many bodies were left buried in ruins.

However, at the same time, despite the images of destruction, banners will be placed on the streets welcoming the “liberation” of Mariupol.

More broadly, in the Russian-controlled areas of southern Ukraine, supermarkets are now filled with expensive Russian products, while street markets, on the other hand, are full of locally produced products.

Cut off from the remaining 80% of Ukraine, farmers have no choice but to sell their produce locally. Vegetables are cheaper, but meat, cheese and milk cost twice as much as before the war.

Areas such as the city of Energodar are now half empty, and there are also serious problems with electricity supply. Those who have not left their homes are in most cases elderly people.

“For seven months we were isolated, cut off from civilization. Cell phones are rare, and Internet access is like a vacation,” says pensioner Natalya.

On the other hand, residents of Melitopol are reporting shortages of medicines, and scenes of intense disorder have reportedly unfolded in Melitopol’s schools recently.

Teachers and administrators refused to cooperate with the Russian occupation authorities, as a result of which, due to shortages, the latter are forced to hire everyone who is ready to accept a job, no matter how inadequate it may be.

“The former cleaning lady at the school became the teacher of our friends’ children’s class,” Toma says.

Source: BBC