Nearly a thousand days after Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine, it occupies about 20 percent of the country. Anyone living in occupied territory is forced to become Russian nationals through intimidation and violence.
Part of the Ukrainian population has now been living under Russian occupation for almost three years. They are being ‘Russified’: forced to adopt Russian passports, bank accounts and school programs, gradually becoming Russian. Those who do not cooperate will face pressure from the occupation authorities.
According to Russian law, the provinces of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhia and the Crimean Peninsula all belong to Russia. Only Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014, is fully under Russian control. The other areas are still partly in Ukrainian hands.
“It is now clear that the destruction of Ukrainian national identity is one of Russia’s most important war goals,” the American wrote. “For those currently living under Russian occupation, this means everything from large-scale kidnappings and mass deportations to indoctrination and Russification.”
The picture painted by the Atlantic Council is confirmed by the , which recently spoke with a pro-Ukrainian activist who still lives in occupied territory. Kiril, as the man calls himself, says that the occupied territories have become a ‘prison society’. Those who openly hold pro-Ukrainian views risk imprisonment.
Particularly in schools, it is clearly visible how the occupied parts of Ukraine are being Russified. Language and history teachers in particular are under pressure.
“Teachers of the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian history and Ukrainian literature feel threatened by the occupation because they could be dangerous to the occupying authorities. They are raising children with the opposite of what Russian propaganda is trying to present,” says researcher Anna Wright from Amnesty International to RTL News.
In Russian history lessons, children are told that Ukraine should not be an independent country. According to the Russian school curriculum, these children have been liberated from a Nazi regime. And yet all forms of Nazism are expressly prohibited in Ukraine.
Ukrainian school continues secretly
“We interviewed teachers who are still teaching online classes to students in the occupied territories, even though the teachers themselves have fled,” says Wright. “They continue the Ukrainian school program online. Children can participate online, but it is a risk for them and their parents.”
“Children must hide the devices through which they receive Ukrainian education. Searches are common in occupied territories, and if the Russians find evidence that children are receiving Ukrainian education, both the children and their parents can be punished. They can be sent to Russian camps, orphanages or families are sent. Now, after almost three years, fewer and fewer children are participating in Ukrainian online classes.”
Almost a thousand days after the start of the major Russian attack, the chance that Ukraine will regain all its territory seems slim. Most Ukrainians find that unacceptable. According to 58 percent of the population, Ukraine should under no circumstances cede territory to Russia. 32 percent of people say that some areas should be ceded for the sake of a peace agreement.
Now that Donald Trump has won the elections in the United States, there is a good chance that he wants to force Ukraine and Russia to negotiate a peace agreement. Trump has not yet explained exactly what conditions he has in mind. If such a consultation takes place, the fate of the occupied territories will be one of the most important issues. The discussion is not only about territory, but especially about the people who live there.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says everything must be done to end the war in his country next year. He made that statement in a radio interview broadcast today. “We must do everything on our part so that the war can be ended by diplomatic means next year,” he said. According to Zelensky, the Trump administration can play a role in this.
Zelensky emphasizes that his country above all wants a ‘just peace’. This means that he does not want to cede any territory to the Russians.
Russian President Putin says Ukraine must accept the ‘reality on the ground’ and is unwilling to give back territory. For the Ukrainians who still live there, this would mean that Russification is not over for the time being.
