Report: Residents in Ukraine compelled to acquire Russian passports in the midst of war

An investigation conducted by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has found that the Kremlin is carrying out a comprehensive campaign to make Ukrainians in occupied territories become Russian citizens. The evidence gathered suggests that Ukrainians are being denied access to healthcare and freedom of movement unless they acquire Russian citizenship. Refugees interviewed for the investigation spoke of relentless pro-Russian propaganda being spread in the occupied lands. One refugee, Larysa, revealed that her friend was not provided with insulin for her diabetes until she applied for a Russian passport. Another friend had to become a Russian citizen in order to receive treatment for a broken arm. Larysa also mentioned other forms of pressure being exerted on Ukrainians to assimilate as Russians, such as the denial of pensions, food, and medical services without Russian passports. These accounts are further corroborated by other refugees, who highlight the requirement of Russian passports for obtaining medical treatment and the threat of having personal belongings confiscated without one. The investigation also uncovers that the main reason many families left their homes was due to their children being forced to study the Russian school curriculum. Failure to comply with this requirement would result in the loss of parental rights and the possibility of having their children taken away. The article also mentions that Russia previously provided passports to residents of Georgian breakaway regions, which it later used as part of its justification for invading Georgia in 2008. In addition, Russia recently released new schoolbooks falsely depicting Ukraine as an aggressive state manipulated by the West. The fear of their 20-year-old sons being drafted into the Russian army and forced to fight Ukrainians was another reason stated by some refugees for leaving their homes. The article includes the account of a historian who witnessed Russian authorities' efforts to influence the minds of the local population during the occupation of the city of Kherson. These efforts included seizing control of television and radio broadcasting, promoting Russian military and historical figures, and implementing the Russian school curriculum. Larysa describes these attempts at Russification by the occupying authorities as a form of moral weaponization that oppresses the Ukrainian population on a daily basis.