Russian forces oppress Ukrainians who reject Russian passports - Melitopol mayor

Fedorov shared on Telegram that Russian forces are intensifying the coercion to passportization in the temporarily occupied southern Ukraine.

"The invaders began to realize that Ukrainians are not in a hurry to become Russian citizens. They decided to force the residents of the temporarily occupied territories to acquire citizenship by obtaining a Russian passport," writes the mayor.

Ukrainians on the temporarily occupied territories, who do not possess a Russian passport, are being restricted in social benefits, threatened with being fired, prohibited from doing business and threatened with property confiscation.

"The occupiers are dying to spread their worthless papers with a two-headed chicken," emphasizes Fedorov, because the holders of such passports can be forced to vote, mobilized into the Russian army, prosecuted by Russian laws and forced to pay taxes.

Russia’s representatives also emphasize that they are "protecting" Ukrainians, as they did in Donbas and Crimea, because they are new Russians.

"They have once again miscalculated. Even if the residents of the occupied territories are forced to receive this insignificant ausweis, they will still remain Ukrainians who are waiting for the Ukrainian Armed Forces and victory," added the mayor of Melitopol.  

• Earlier, the mayor said that Russian forces still prevent Ukrainians from leaving the occupied territories, an evacuation corridor has been inaccessible since December 15, and Ukrainians deported from the occupied territories to Zaporizhzhia are disappearing near Vasylivka.

• The mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, noted that over 700 people have been held captive during the 11 months of Russian occupation, some of them since February-March. 

•  Ivan Fedorov said that Russia massively deployed its military personnel to Melitopol.