Russia is transforming its occupation of Ukraine into a comprehensive system of long-term control to integrate occupied territories, suppress Ukrainian identity, and compel civilian compliance.
Russian occupation authorities have made leaving occupied territories difficult, especially for families with children and men of mobilization age. High evacuation costs and administrative obstacles trap many civilians under occupation.
Economic decline, property seizures, and deteriorating public services are deepening dependence on occupation authorities.
Businesses have closed, homes risk confiscation without Russian registration, and shortages of essential services are worsening daily life.
Moscow uses schools, child protection mechanisms, and passport regulations to coerce families into compliance, threatening parents with child removal while expanding educational and administrative measures designed to Russify children and eliminate Ukrainian identity.
Russian authorities are tightening information controls and expanding surveillance by restricting access to Ukrainian media, increasing internet monitoring, and conducting frequent phone inspections, fostering distrust and fear of denunciation among residents.
by Maksym Beznosiuk/The Jamestown Foundation Life Under Russian Occupation
