Since Vladimir Putin annexed the four Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson, the Kremlin has tried to force the residents to become Russian citizens.
They have previously threatened that all residents who do not obtain a Russian passport will be deported. In an interview with the Russian state news agency Tass, Yevgeny Balitsky, the head of the leadership appointed by Russia in Zaporizhzhia, states that some residents still “refuse” to become Russian citizens.
Removes healthcare for Ukrainians
Now the pro-Russian regime in the region is taking a harder line against the Ukrainian residents.
In the interview, the head of the occupation administration says that Ukrainian residents who do not obtain a Russian passport will no longer have access to healthcare. The new rules will come into force from next year.
– After the turn of the year, we will take stricter measures to ensure that only Russian citizens will live on our territory, he says in the interview, which the Russian BBC reported on, among others.
The Tass news agency claims that 83 percent of residents of the four annexed areas have applied for Russian passports, a figure that has not been confirmed by independent sources. The countries of the Western world have called the Russian annexation illegal and the UN General Assembly has condemned the act.
“Sweden does not recognize, and will not recognize, Russia’s illegal annexations of Ukrainian territory,” the Swedish government stated in a statement last fall.
Exposed to threats and risks deportation
The authorities in Ukraine state that the Kremlin is trying to persuade residents of the Ukrainian regions to obtain Russian passports using methods of intimidation.
Even the organization Conflict Observatory, which analyzes and publishes evidence of Russian war crimes in Ukraine, has warned about the same thing.
“Inhabitants of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya are exposed to threats, restrictions on humanitarian aid and basic necessities, and possible deportation,” the organization stated in a report at the beginning of August.
According to the Russian BBC, representatives of the Ukrainian authorities have stated that Ukrainian residents can obtain a Russian passport if it means avoiding danger to their lives.