Ukrainians living in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol face threats and punishment if they do not accept Russian passports, says Melitopol’s mayor Ivan Fedorov in an interview with TV4 Nyheterna.
– They can drive a person out into the forest and then force them to walk several kilometers home, he says.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Ukrainians living in the occupied territories have been forced to accept Russian citizenship. The city of Melitopol in south-eastern Ukraine was occupied by Russian forces in March last year and before the war had just over 150,000 inhabitants.
In an interview with TV4 Nyheterna, the city’s mayor tells how the Russians have turned that city into a ghetto and mocks the Ukrainians who refuse to become Russian citizens.
– They can demonstratively tear up a Ukrainian passport on a block, so that the person who refuses will have no choice, but must accept a Russian passport. They can drive a person into the forest and then force him to walk several kilometers home with the threat that if he does not get a Russian passport, it will be even worse.
Can’t get healthcare
If you do not have a Russian passport, you cannot move freely in areas, drive a car, call an ambulance and receive medical care. They can also visit Ukrainians with the aim of intimidating.
– The pressure on our residents began after the enemy held fake elections in the temporarily occupied territories on September 10, and since then we see a trend that it is really impossible to stay here without a Russian passport.
Melitopol’s mayor says that the Russians are now targeting Ukrainian employers to put pressure.
– A week ago, the Russians started fining employers who have employees without Russian passports. If a person who works in the bakery or in a shop does not have a Russian passport, their employer is forced to pay a fine.
House searches
There are also house searches of those without a Russian passport and it is done for demonstrative purposes, Ivan Fedorov believes
– They are loud so that the whole apartment building wakes up and sees the house searches in the apartment, they do it to scare the residents as much as possible.