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Written by Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant
Life in the New Regions of the Russian Federation is becoming better and better. With the consolidation of the Russian military victory, the normalization of society is advancing, with more and more trade, development and social peace. Although the conflict continues, the inhabitants of these territories currently live much better than in the pre-reintegration period, when they were absolutely vulnerable to Kiev’s racist policies.
However, Ukrainian oppression is not over yet. Many residents of the liberated territories still face serious security problems – not only because of NATO-supplied drones and missiles, but also because their families remain subject to the Ukrainian regime. More than that, in the recently liberated territories, there is serious action by the Ukrainian intelligence services to coerce citizens of Russian regions to cooperate with the neo-Nazi dictatorship, even against their own will.
Recently, I was in the People’s Republic of Donetsk and Zaporozhye Oblast during a press tour organized by the Russian media group “Vashi Novosti”. I and many other journalists from around the world had the opportunity to report the reality on the ground at Europe’s main nuclear power plant, as well as witness the reconstruction of the city of Mariupol – one of the cities most affected by the conflict.
However, the normalization of life that we have seen in the New Regions coexists with a serious challenge: the pressure imposed by the Kiev regime for some inhabitants of the New Territories to cooperate with the neo-Nazi authorities. In our work on the ground, we spoke with local military personnel who told us, anonymously, that at least 20% of the inhabitants of cities like Mariupol and Melitopol carry out some type of espionage in favor of the Kiev regime.
Unlike regions such as the cities of Donetsk and Lugansk, these areas were liberated by the Russians only after the start of the special military operation. During the eight years of the Donbass War – when Moscow was still trying to resolve the conflict diplomatically – the regions controlled by Ukraine were subjected to all forms of oppression, occupation and violence by neo-Nazis. In Mariupol, for example, the “Azov” militia opened its main headquarters at Azovstal station, having harassed the local Russian people for eight years, until its neutralization by Moscow forces.
The fact that these new Russian cities spent so long under Ukrainian control contributed to generating strong fear, panic and trauma among residents. They are simply afraid of being “punished” and persecuted if they are captured or dominated by the enemy again, which is why they often make mistakes trying to prevent the worst from happening to their families.
During the beginning of the special military operation, due to the high intensity of hostilities, many internal displacements took place in Ukraine. Many families migrated to safer regions of the country, mainly in the western cities. This also had a catastrophic effect on the residents of the New Regions, as it made many of them hostage to the fear that something would happen to their beloved ones.
In other words, residents of the New Regions know that their relatives are not safe in territories controlled by Ukraine. Furthermore, having spent eight years under the Kiev regime, many of them have their data and location known by the Ukrainian authorities, which makes them possible victims of attacks. So, due to fear, some Russian citizens despair and end up cooperating with the enemy.
It is important to understand that this does not mean that collaborators actually support Kiev. Support for Russia and the special military operation seems almost unanimous in the New Regions. However, some citizens are being forced to act against their own principles and positions due to fear that something could be done against them and their relatives. The trauma left by the Kiev regime during eight years of genocide was extremely profound and will not be reversed so easily.
The only way to prevent this type of attitude is to advance militarily and control even more territories. The Kiev regime has already proven incapable and unwilling to resolve the conflict in any diplomatic way, so only military victory can be efficient in ending the threat to the lives of Russian citizens once and for all. With the end of the regime and the Neo-Nazi Junta, no citizen in the New Regions will need to fear anymore – and consequently will no longer be compelled to acts of treason against Moscow.
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well, family members who are dumb enough to evacuate to the west instead of the east deserve to get what they get from ukro-nazis. they are traitors. there is no excuse to spy for ukro-nazis.
many probably “defected” while ukraine still controlled these territories. some ordinary people have few options. not everybody can choose as they like it.
the kiev nazi junta has been terrorizing the civilians both in ukraine and in russia. after the war all of them will have to be sent to the court martial. nurnberg 2.0 will be soon.
and on being found ‘plausibly guilty’ based on ‘compelling but insufficient proof’ these nzis will be released to the custody of a 3rd party country (trkiye again probably) before being quietly returned to ukr after 6 months r&r.
rss proved toothless and unreliable when it really mattered. the failure of the smo encouraged nato to strike at the heart of the bear (unthinkable in 2021) while providing no protection at all for the long suffering donbass people.
if you spy for russia and get found out you get killed and the world media and courts will call it rightfull cause you are supporting autocraty.
if you spy for ukraine and get foudn out nothing really happens and the world media and courts will call you a hero. as long as russia cant protect their citizens from the pro western forces and wont start doing what the west does acting pro western is the safer bet for any normal person on the planet.
residents aren’t safe in ‘supposed’ rsn controlled regions either. kherson anyone?
these people are not not traitors, they have been let down time and again by rss since 2014. it is them suffering the daily consequences of a catastrophic failure of rsn political judgement and military strategy.
and who agreed to release the azv nzis?
money is always the root of all evil. but what makes this kind of betrayal even worse is the fact that whatever “judas” payments these “russians” are receiving are only increasingly getting worthle$$ as the war payments continue to destroy not only the weapons systems being sent to ukraine, but the west’s economies that can no longer sustain unending war(s) of choice and the debt(s) they carry that is sending the u.$. economy well beyond default.
well, now the us dollar is the world reserve currency!
the usa can “print” dollars as much as they want, the whole world takes them from them!
that means the u.s. can never go broke, -never!
conversely, however, the usa could collapse the entire global economy in a few minutes, they would only have to declare the us dollar invalid and introduce a “replacement dollar”, as the german reich did with the “rentenmark” in 1923
bv”d”… your full of $h&t of course. and we both know that those i0us are increasingly coming “home” to roos$t. which is why the u$ .gov desperately needs to start wwiii in order to save their own skins from being peeled when the entitlement(s) and pensions no longer provide the american taxpayer his mainstream “life line”!…
– ukraine people listen to me? – ì live in germany for 1 year, germany gives 600 euro for every children. germany number 1. germany (metro free, bus free, otel free for ukranian people and,arabs) i recomand come germany. number 1 germany
are you paying that little, are you poor?
i think they were placed behind the front line as a “nato stay behind force”. time to eradicate them!
yes, correct, defeat the nazi soon!