“Russians are trying to ban everything Ukrainian here: language, and also traditions. Even Ukrainian holidays are forbidden.”
This statement reflects the sorrow and fear of Maria, a rare voice from within one of the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine. As the US leads international efforts to negotiate peace, those still living under occupation face a harsh, repressive reality—one where Ukrainian identity is being systematically erased.
The Kremlin has implemented sweeping restrictions aimed at suppressing all things Ukrainian. Dissent is met with harsh punishment, and there are growing concerns that any potential ceasefire could result in Kyiv being pressured to cede occupied territories.
While Ukrainian officials firmly reject this idea, Moscow has made clear it seeks full control over four partially occupied regions—Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia—on top of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014.
Speaking to the media—or even family—while under Russian control has become dangerously risky. The Kremlin has launched a widespread campaign to coerce Ukrainians in these areas into taking Russian passports. Without one, people are reportedly denied basic services, including healthcare and the freedom to travel.
Maria, not her real name, told the BBC Today programme she is part of an all-female resistance group engaged in peaceful protest—distributing leaflets and underground newsletters to keep the spirit of Ukraine alive. Quoting a Ukrainian proverb, she captured the risk and resilience of their work: “You have fear in your eyes, but your hands are still doing it. Of course it’s scary.”
For her safety, the BBC has withheld Maria’s real name and location.
An Atmosphere of Fear
In trying to contact people in occupied Mariupol, many suspected me of being a Russian journalist. One person messaged, “You won’t like what I’ve got to say. People like you kill if you tell them the truth.” They claimed to be from the port city, which was taken by Russian forces in May 2022 after a devastating siege.
Attempts to connect with relatives of Ukrainian friends in occupied areas also failed—everyone agreed it was far too dangerous.
Sofia, also using a pseudonym, is originally from a village in southern Zaporizhzhia. Now living in the UK, her parents remain in the village under Russian control. She explained how cautious she has to be when speaking with them.
“About a year ago, my parents were searched by the [Russian security service] FSB. They confiscated their phones, accusing them of revealing Russian troop positions to the Ukrainian army. It wasn’t true. Later, the Russian military told my parents they’d been reported by their neighbours. That’s why I try not to provoke anything like that,” she said.
“I have to read between the lines when they tell me about what’s going on.”
Even simple tasks—like topping up mobile phone credit or insuring a car—have become impossible for those who refuse to accept Russian passports. “It’s getting really awkward living without Russian IDs,” she added.
Surveillance and Suppression
The presence of propaganda and surveillance is growing. Billboards in occupied areas display slogans like “Russians and Ukrainians are one people, one whole.” Russian authorities have installed extensive CCTV networks to track and identify dissenters.
“They are putting up a lot of CCTV cameras to control everybody, to find all the activists,” Maria said.
According to the Ukrainian human rights group Zmina, at least 121 Ukrainian activists, volunteers, and journalists have been killed since the full-scale invasion began, most of them in the first year. Prior to the invasion, Russia had allegedly compiled lists of individuals to arrest or assassinate.
Since then, occupation authorities have enforced draconian laws, punishing residents for so-called “discrediting” the Russian military or “spreading false information.” In Crimea alone, 1,279 cases have been filed under these laws. According to the Ukrainian government office for Crimea, 224 people—most of them Crimean Tatars—have been jailed for dissent.
Everyday Lives Under Pressure
Yeva, another pseudonym, shared her concern for her sister, who works at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. “Whenever we move from talking about the weather or our children to deeper topics, her tone changes,” Yeva said. “She tells me: ‘You don’t understand!’”
Yeva suspects her sister’s phone is monitored. “What I do understand is that being a nuclear power plant worker, her phone is likely to be bugged.”
Another woman, Kateryna, declined to connect me with a friend in occupied Kherson. The friend had been thrown into a “punishment cellar” for speaking to her brother—who had assisted the Ukrainian army. “I can’t put them at risk,” Kateryna told me.
Resistance and Propaganda
Despite the danger, several underground movements continue to operate.
- Zla Mavka, a non-violent, all-female group, distributes posters and leaflets.
- In Melitopol, partisans target occupation troops and transport routes.
- The Crimean Tatar group Atesh engages in reconnaissance and subversion.
- The Yellow Ribbon movement spreads Ukrainian symbols across occupied zones.
Still, due to the lack of independent media, it’s hard to verify their effectiveness—there is no concrete evidence yet of significant disruption to Russian control.
Maria described how Russian propaganda dominates public spaces: “In city centres, everything is covered with Russian propaganda—billboards with Putin’s face, his quotes, and people they call heroes of the special military operation. There are flags everywhere.”
Independent and Ukrainian media—including the BBC—have been banned. In their place, Russian propagandists have set up state-approved outlets, often using teenagers to disseminate pro-Kremlin narratives.
This indoctrination starts in schools, where children are forced to attend lessons glorifying the Russian army and encouraged to join youth military groups like Yunarmia (Youth Army). Russian schoolbooks now portray Ukraine as an aggressive, extremist-led state manipulated by the West.
Despite the odds, many Ukrainians in occupied areas continue to quietly resist. Whether by preserving their language, remembering their traditions, or refusing a Russian passport, they hold onto their identity—even in the shadow of oppression.
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