.
A mother and child are seen in a file photo passing a placard that reads, "For Russia! For the President! For Sevastopol!"
"Russians are attempting to outlaw all things Ukrainian in this area, including language and customs. Ukrainian holidays are prohibited as well.
This is the anguish and anxiety of a voice that is seldom heard inside Ukraine: that of a resident of one of the regions that Russia has invaded. Her name is Maria.
Those living under Russian occupation risk a harsh, oppressive future as the US spearheads peace talks in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has already implemented stringent measures to eradicate Ukrainian identity, including as heavy penalties for anyone who dares to oppose.
There are now concerns that as part of a possible ceasefire or peace agreement, Kyiv would be compelled to cede at least a portion of the Russian-occupied territory.
Although Ukrainian officials deny this, Moscow claims that, in addition to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, it also wants to completely annex the four Ukrainian territories it partially controls: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Speaking to the media and even your own family members in occupied territory might be dangerous due to repression by the Russian government.
Additionally, the Kremlin has begun a broad effort to compel Ukrainians living in seized territory to obtain Russian passports. There is evidence that Ukrainians are not being allowed to travel freely or receive healthcare until they become citizens of Russia.
Maria (not her real name) claimed to be a part of an all-female underground resistance group that mostly used newsletters and leaflets to spread a campaign of nonviolent resistance in those areas.
She cited a Ukrainian saying to explain the danger she faces in an interview with the BBC's Today show: "You have fear in your eyes, but your hands are still doing it." It's frightening, of course.
To avoid endangering her, the BBC is not allowed to disclose her true name or whereabouts.
A fearful atmosphere
There is so much mistrust and anxiety that I was accused of being a Russian journalist when I attempted to get in touch with people in occupied Mariupol.
"What I have to say won't sit well with you. One guy sent me a private message on social media, saying, "If you tell them the truth, they like you killing." They identified themselves as residents of the port city, which was overrun by the Russians in May 2022 following a brutal siege that left it in ruins.
Getty Pictures As citizens are being evacuated along humanitarian corridors from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is governed by Russian military and pro-Russian separatists, on March 26, 2022, a collapsed electrical post is visible in a damaged site. Getty Pictures
Following Russia's 2022 invasion and ruthless siege, Mariupol was reduced to rubble.
I later asked some friends of mine who are Ukrainian whether I might talk to their relatives who are in occupied territory. Everyone agreed that it would be too risky.
Sofia, who also goes by a false name, hails from a village in the southern Zaporizhzhia area of Ukraine. It is located an hour's drive south of Zaporizhzhia city, a significant regional hub that is still governed by Ukraine, and was taken on day five of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Sofia told me that she had to be careful when speaking to her parents, who are still in her village even though she is now in the UK.
"The [Russian security service] FSB searched my parents about a year ago. Accusing them of informing the Ukrainian army on the locations of Russian forces, they seized their phones. That was untrue, and my parents were later informed by the Russian military that their neighbours had denounced them. Sofia says me, "That's why I try not to provoke anything like that."
"I have to read between the lines when they tell me about what's going on."
And it's getting harder to even talk to them anymore. According to Sofia, her parents' refusal to accept Russian passports prevents them from even being able to insure their car or recharge their cell phones.
"It's getting really awkward living without Russian IDs," she continues.
Getty Pictures Nov. 19, KHERSON, UKRAINE:
"Russians are attempting to outlaw all things Ukrainian in this area, including language and customs. Ukrainian holidays are prohibited as well.
This is the anguish and anxiety of a voice that is seldom heard inside Ukraine: that of a resident of one of the regions that Russia has invaded. Her name is Maria.
Those living under Russian occupation risk a harsh, oppressive future as the US spearheads peace talks in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has already implemented stringent measures to eradicate Ukrainian identity, including as heavy penalties for anyone who dares to oppose.
There are now concerns that as part of a possible ceasefire or peace agreement, Kyiv would be compelled to cede at least a portion of the Russian-occupied territory.
Although Ukrainian officials deny this, Moscow claims that, in addition to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, it also wants to completely annex the four Ukrainian territories it partially controls: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.
Speaking to the media and even your own family members in occupied territory might be dangerous due to repression by the Russian government.
Additionally, the Kremlin has begun a broad effort to compel Ukrainians living in seized territory to obtain Russian passports. There is evidence that Ukrainians are not being allowed to travel freely or receive healthcare until they become citizens of Russia.
Maria (not her real name) claimed to be a part of an all-female underground resistance group that mostly used newsletters and leaflets to spread a campaign of nonviolent resistance in those areas.
She cited a Ukrainian saying to explain the danger she faces in an interview with the BBC's Today show: "You have fear in your eyes, but your hands are still doing it." It's frightening, of course.
To avoid endangering her, the BBC is not allowed to disclose her true name or whereabouts.
A fearful atmosphere
There is so much mistrust and anxiety that I was accused of being a Russian journalist when I attempted to get in touch with people in occupied Mariupol.
"What I have to say won't sit well with you. One guy sent me a private message on social media, saying, "If you tell them the truth, they like you killing." They identified themselves as residents of the port city, which was overrun by the Russians in May 2022 following a brutal siege that left it in ruins.
Getty Pictures As citizens are being evacuated along humanitarian corridors from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is governed by Russian military and pro-Russian separatists, on March 26, 2022, a collapsed electrical post is visible in a damaged site. Getty Pictures
Following Russia's 2022 invasion and ruthless siege, Mariupol was reduced to rubble.
I later asked some friends of mine who are Ukrainian whether I might talk to their relatives who are in occupied territory. Everyone agreed that it would be too risky.
Sofia, who also goes by a false name, hails from a village in the southern Zaporizhzhia area of Ukraine. It is located an hour's drive south of Zaporizhzhia city, a significant regional hub that is still governed by Ukraine, and was taken on day five of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Sofia told me that she had to be careful when speaking to her parents, who are still in her village even though she is now in the UK.
"The [Russian security service] FSB searched my parents about a year ago. Accusing them of informing the Ukrainian army on the locations of Russian forces, they seized their phones. That was untrue, and my parents were later informed by the Russian military that their neighbours had denounced them. Sofia says me, "That's why I try not to provoke anything like that."
"I have to read between the lines when they tell me about what's going on."
And it's getting harder to even talk to them anymore. According to Sofia, her parents' refusal to accept Russian passports prevents them from even being able to insure their car or recharge their cell phones.
"It's getting really awkward living without Russian IDs," she continues.
Getty Pictures Nov. 19, KHERSON, UKRAINE:
"Russians and Ukrainians are one people, one whole" is displayed on a billboard in Kherson, Ukraine, on November 19, 2022, with a Russian propaganda poster sign. After its invasion on February 24, 2022, Russia took control of Kherson, the lone regional capital. (Image via Getty Images by Oleksandr Magula/Global Images Ukraine) Getty Pictures
"Russians and Ukrainians are one people, one whole" is written on this billboard in occupied Ukraine.
A sister of Yeva, whose name we have also changed, works at the nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, which is under Russian occupation.
"Whenever we move from the weather or our children on to our subjects, her tone changes," Yeva explains. "She tells me: 'You don't understand!'"
"What I do understand is that being a nuclear power plant worker, her phone is likely to be bugged," Yeva informs me. Additionally, she claims that when her sister speaks to her, she frequently repeats storylines that are pro-Russian.
According to another friend, Kateryna, someone she knows in the Kherson region that is under occupation was sent to a punishment cellar for speaking with her brother, who was assisting the Ukrainian army. Kateryna informed me, "I can't put them at risk," when I asked to connect her with her friend.
Methods of discipline
Maria claims that surveillance mechanisms have been put in place by Russian governments to keep an eye out for any signs of opposition. "They are putting up a lot of CCTV cameras to control everybody, to find all the activists," she continues.
Russian occupation has resulted in the deaths or disappearances of numerous Ukrainian activists. At least 121 activists, volunteers, and journalists have been killed during the full-scale invasion, the majority of them were killed in the first year, according to the Ukrainian rights organisation Zmina.
The group claims that Russia had prepared names of activists to be detained or assassinated before the invasion.
Authorities deployed by Russia have been using a variety of oppressive laws against dissenters in more recent times. For claimed offences include disseminating "false information," "discrediting" the Russian army, or endorsing "extremism," they may face penalties.
According to the Ukrainian government office for Crimea, 1,279 lawsuits have been filed so far in Crimea alone on allegations of "discrediting" the Russian military. It claims that 224 persons, primarily members of the native Crimean Tatar community, have been imprisoned in the seized Ukrainian territory for voicing protest.
Map displaying Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine
There are several underground resistance groups operating in occupied areas of Ukraine despite the risks.
Named after a mythical creature from Ukraine, Zla Mavka is a nonviolent, all-female movement that primarily focusses on distributing posters and leaflets in occupied areas.
Partisans have been attacking occupation forces and their vehicles in the Zaporizhzhia region's Melitopol, while the Crimean Tatar organisation Atesh has been engaged in subversion and reconnaissance.
In the meantime, Ukrainian symbols are dispersed throughout seized territory by the Yellow Ribbon campaign.
Verifying the impact of such initiatives is challenging due to the lack of independent media in occupied areas of Ukraine. On the other hand, there is no proof that they have seriously disrupted occupying forces.
Identity Erasure
Maria claims that Russian propaganda lines entire streets.
"Everything is covered in Russian propaganda in urban areas, including billboards featuring Putin's image, statements from Putin, and individuals they refer to as heroes of the special military operation. She told the BBC, "There are flags everywhere."
Propagandists have been sent from Russia to establish favourable media in the seized territory, and the Kremlin has outlawed independent and Ukrainian media, including the BBC. They have been compelled to hire local youngsters to disseminate Moscow's narratives after a large number of professional journalists fled.
Children are compelled to attend classes that exalt the Russian army and join quasi-military organisations like Yunarmia (Youth Army) as part of the early pro-Russian propaganda at school.
Even the invasion of Ukraine is justified by one Russian textbook, which misrepresents Ukraine as an aggressive state controlled by nationalist extremists and influenced by the West.
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