Russia has successfully imposed its passports on nearly the entire population of occupied Ukraine by making it impossible to survive without them, coercing hundreds of thousands of people into citizenship
42-year-old Vyacheslav Ryabkov, an internally displaced person from Kozachi Laheri in the Kherson region of Ukraine, shows in Kolomyya on Feb. 13, 2024 the scars on his arms caused by Russian soldiers who cut him with a knife. . He and his parents were among the last in their village to take a Russian passport, but the pressure was becoming unbearable.’s Kherson region, Vyacheslav Ryabkov caved.
Every passport and birth certificate issued makes it harder for Ukraine to reclaim its lost land and children, and each new citizen allows Russia to claim a right – however falsely – to defend its own people against a hostile neighbor. Under international law dating to 1907, it is forbidden to force people “to swear allegiance to the hostile Power.” But when Ukrainians apply for a Russian passport, they must submit biometric data and cell phone information and swear an oath of loyalty.
Beginning in May 2022, Russia passed a series of laws to make it easier to obtain passports for Ukrainians, mostly by lifting the usual residency and income requirements. In April 2023 came the punishment: Anyone in the occupied territories who did not accept Russian citizenship would be considered stateless and required to register with Russia’s Internal Affairs Ministry.
In an interview posted recently, Yevgeny Balitsky, the Moscow-installed governor in Zaporizhzhia, said anyone who opposed the occupation was subject to expulsion. “We understood that these people could not be won over and that they would have to be dealt with even more harshly in the future,” he said. Balitsky then alluded to making “some extremely harsh decisions that I will not talk about.”A decree signed Jan.
Then last fall, the school headmaster forced her 17-year-old and 18-year-old sons to register for the draft and ordered them to apply for passports in the meantime. Their alternative, the principal said, was to explain themselves to Russia’s internal security services. For 40 minutes, they went through her phone, took fingerprints and photos and questioned her, but they ultimately let her through. The children were waiting for her on the other side. She misses her home but doesn’t regret leaving.
Residents, he said in the video on the village Telegram channel, “must respect the country that ensures their safety and which is now helping them live.” “You have people constantly dying while waiting for evacuation due to a lack of health care,” she said. ““People will stay there, people will die, people will experience psychological and physical pressure, that is, some will simply die of torture and persecution, while others will live in constant fear.”
Russia also offered “residential certificates” and a 100,000 ruble stipend to Ukrainians willing to accept citizenship and live in Russia. For many people tired of listening to the daily sounds of battle and afraid of what the future might bring, it looked like a good option.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Russia-Ukraine war: How Ukraine lost Avdiivka to RussiaThe loss of the city of Avdiivka last month marked the end of a long, exhausting defense for the Ukrainian military. One brigade had defended the same block of buildings for months without a break. Another unit had been in the city for nearly two years. Ammunition was low, and the Russians conducted dozens of airstrikes every day.
Read more »
Ukraine war updates: Russia heads to the polls; pro-Ukraine groups continue border assaultRussians head to the polls on Friday in a presidential election that is all but certain to grant President Vladimir Putin a fifth term in power.
Read more »
Congress to probe Elon Musk's Starlink over allegations Russia is using its technologyJa'han Jones is The ReidOut Blog writer. He's a futurist and multimedia producer focused on culture and politics. His previous projects include 'Black Hair Defined' and the 'Black Obituary Project.'
Read more »
Live blog: Türkiye to continue peace efforts for Russia, Ukraine — ErdoganRussia-Ukraine war, the largest armed conflict in Europe since WW2, enters its 745th day.
Read more »
China trumpets rising car exports to Russia as its envoy holds talks in UkraineThe divide between China and Europe over the war in Ukraine was on display this week
Read more »
GOP Senate hopefuls offer their take on further aid to Ukraine in war with RussiaReporter at News 5 Cleveland
Read more »