ISW: Russians eroding Ukrainian national identity in occupied Ukrainian territories

“Russian occupation officials are continuing their attempts to erode Ukrainian national identity among residents of occupied territories while setting conditions to mobilize additional forces from the occupied Ukrainian civilian population years from now,” the Institute for the Study of War reports.

Moreover, Russian occupation authorities are reportedly continuing their efforts to identify pro-Ukraine residents in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine but are less invested in creating pro-Russian sentiments among occupied populations.

“The Ukrainian Resistance Center reported on November 10 that Russian occupation officials have reduced payments to “socially vulnerable” populations in occupied parts of Zaporizhia Oblast since the September 30 pseudo-referenda. The Center reported that those payments were used to acquire passport data to rig the referendum vote and that Russian authorities are stepping up filtration measures and other ‘terror tactics’ because they no longer need to buy the goodwill of the occupied population,” reads the report.

As reported, the Institute for the Study of War stated that mass burials and torture of civilians, which became known after the liberation of Bucha and Izyum, showed that the Russians were resorting to atrocities in all occupied territories of Ukraine.

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