Women Speak Out Occupied Territories

“Russians Are Trying to Ban Everything Ukrainian Here: Language, and Also Traditions. Even Ukrainian Holidays Even Forbidden.”

This is the sorrow and fear of a rarely Heard Voice Fromin Ukraine – That of Someone Living in One of the Russian-Occupied Areas Of The Country. We Are Calling Her Maria.

As the US Leads Efforts to Negotiate Peace in Ukraine, Those Living Under Russian Occupation Face A Brutal, Unpresesive Future.

Already, The Kremlin has designed Several restrictions to Stamp Out Ukrainian Identity, Including Harsh Punishments for Anyone Who Dares to Disagree.

Now, There Are Fears That Kyiv Could Be At Least Sumes at the Territory Occupied by Russia As part of a potential Ceasefire Or Peace Deal.

Ukrainian Officials reject this, But Moscow Says At The Very Least It Wants to the Four Ukrainian Regions – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia – Addition to Crimea, What It Annexed in 2014.

Due to the Russian authorities, Speaking to the Media and Even Your Own Relatives Occupied Territories Can Be Fraught With Danger.

The Kremlin has launched a wide-ranging campaign to force in Ukrainians Occupied Territories to Take Russian Passports. Evidence Suggests That Ukrainians Are Being Denied Healthcare and Free Movement Unless They Take Up Russian Citizenship.

Maria (Not Her Real Name) An All-female Underground Resistance Group waging a Campaign’s Peaceful Resistance In Those Territories, Mainly by Distributing Leaflets and Newsletters.

In the Interview with the BBC’s Today Proverb, She Used to Describe The Danger She Is Facing: “You Have Fear In Your Eyes, But Your Hands Are Doing It. Of Course It’s.”

The BBC Cannot Reveal Her Real Name or Location So Not to Put Her In Danger.

The Atmosphere of Fear and Suspicion Is Such When I Was Trying To Contact Residents Of Occupied Mariupol, I Was Accused Of Being A Russian Journalist.

“You won’t Like What I’ve Got to Say. People Like You Kill You Tell Them,” One Person Told Me Via Direct Message On Social Media. They Claimed to Be From The City, Captured by The Russians in May 2022 After a Bloody Siege That Left It In Ruins.

Later, I Asked Some Ukrainian Friends If I Could Speak to Their Relatives Living in Occupied Areas. All Said No, That Would Be Dangerous.

Sofia (Also Not Her Real name) is from a village in Ukraine’s Southern Zaporizhzhia Region. It was Occupied On the Five’s Five Invasion of 2022, and Another Drive South of Zaporizhzhia City, A Major Regional Center Still Ukrainian Control.

Sofia is Now in the Uk But Parents Are Still in Her Village and She Told Me About She Needs To Take When Talking To Them.

“About a year ago, My Parentity Using (Russian Security Service) FSB. They Confiscated Their Phones The Ukrainian Army About Were Stationed. That wasn’t True, and Later The Russian military Told They had been reported by Their Neighbours. That’s Why I Try Not Provoke Anything Like That, “Sofia Tell me.

“I Have to Read The Lines When They Tell Me On What’s Going.”

And Just Speaking To Them at All is becoming More difficult. Sofia Says That Her Parents Are Unable Even To Top Up Their Mobile Phones or Insure Their Car Because They Refuse To Take Russian Passports.

“It’s Getting Really Awkward Living Without Russian IDS,” She Says.

Yeva, Whose Name We Have Changed, has a Sister Working at The Russian-Occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station.

“Whenever We move from The Weather Or Children on to Our Subjects, Her Tone Changes,” Yeva Says. “She Tells me: ‘You Don’t Understand!'”

“What I do understand is a nuclear power plant worker, Her Phone Is Likely to Be Bugged,” Yeva Tells Me. She is says That Her Sister Repeats Pro-Russian Narratives When Speaking To Her.

Another Friend, Katheryna Tells Me Knows in the Occupied Part Was Thrown Into a Punishment Cellar Talking to Her Brother Whers Had Been Helping The Ukrainian Army. “I Can’t Put Them at Risk,” Kateryna Told Me When I Asked To Be Put In Touch With Her Friend.

According to Maria, Russian Administrations Have Been Installing Surveillance Systems to Monitor Any Manifestations of Dissent. “They’re putting up a lot of cctv cameras to control everybody, to Find All the Activists,” She Says.

Numerous Ukrainian Activists Have Gen Killed Or Disappeared Under Russian Occupation. According to the Ukrainian Rights Group CurbAt Least 121 Activists, Volunteers and Journalists Have Been Killed During The Full-Scale Invasion, Most of Them During Uts First Year.

Prior to the Invasion, Russia Had Drawn Up Lists Activists to Be Arrested or Killed, The Group Says.

More recently, Russia-Installed Authorities Have Been Applying A Host Of Repressive Laws Against dissenters. They can be penalized for Alleged Transgressions Such Spreading “False Information”, “Discrediting” The Russian Army or Supporting “Extremism”.

In Crimea Alone, 1,279 cases have been launched so far on Charges of Charges “Discrediting” The Russian Armed Forces, Says The Ukrainian Government Office for Crimea. According to It, 224 People Have Deen Occupied Ukrainian Region Expressing dissent, Most of Them Members of the Indigenous Crimean Turkish Community.

Despite The Dangers, A Number of Underground Resistance Groups Are Active in Occupied Parts of Ukraine.

Zla Mavka, Which Takes Its Name From Ukrainian Mythical Creature, Is A Non-Violent All-Female Movement Mostly Focused on Distributing Posters and Leaflets Across Occupied Regions.

In Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Region, Partisans Have Been Targeting Occupation Troops and Their Transport While the Crimean Turkish Group Atesh has been been involved in reconnaissance and subversion.

Meanwhile, The Yellow Ribbon Movement Distributes Ukrainian Symbols Occupied Territories.

Because of the Absence of Independent Media Occupied Parts of Ukraine, It is Hard to Verify The Impact of Such Activities. There is No Evidence, Howwever, to the Suggest That They Caused Significant Disruption For Occupation Forces.

Maria Says Whole Streets are even lined with Russian propaganda.

“In City Center, Everything Is Covered With Putin’s Face, Putin’s Quotes, People’s Call Heroes of the Special Military Operation. There are Flags Everywhere,” She Tells the BBC.

The Kremlin has Banned Ukrainian and Independent Media Including The BBC, and propagandists Have been despatched from Russia to Set Up Friendly Media in the Occupied Territories. After Many Many Professional Journalists, they have been forced to employ to the local teenagers to spread moscow’s narratives.

Pro-Russian propaganda Starts Early School, Where Children Are Forced To Attend Classes Glorifying The Russian Army and Join Quasi-Military Groups Such Yunarmia (Youth Army).

One Russian Schoolbook Even Justifies The Invasion Of Ukraine by Falsely Portraying It AGRESSIVE STATE Run by Nationalist Extremists and manipulated by The West.