Living under occupation in Ukraine between Russian propaganda and protests

The cancellation of the payment of the credits and a drop in the rates of public services. These are some of the promises spread by the Russians to the residents of the Ukrainian populations that they manage to control militarily, in which, despite the occupation and propaganda, protests against the invasion continue to take place.

Olga Oksana, who is a teacher in Berdyansk, a coastal city in southern Ukraine located about 85 kilometers from Mariupoland which is now under occupation by Russian troops, recounts how the Russian propaganda apparatus works on the population once it achieves military occupation.

According to Oksana, 50, the radio has become the main communication channel for Russians to spread propaganda, with promises of all kinds, “to convince people to be on their side”.

“It looks like an Orwellian play. We don’t have a stable connection. Yesterday they occupied the radio and started trying to convince us to join them, to talk about the illegitimacy of our presidents or about the horrible saboteurs of the Azov Regiment”says Oksana, who describes these radio messages as the “typical” Russian propaganda.

“And all this accompanied by the Russian anthem”he adds in an ironic tone.

Berdyansk, like the bombed-out Mariupol, is located on the southern coastal strip of Ukraine which, since the beginning of the invasion on February 24, Russia has become a special focus of military attention due to its intention to isolate the country from the sea and guarantee a land corridor between the annexed crimea and the self-styled people’s republics of Donetsk and of Luganskwhose independence was recognized by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, on the eve of the invasion.

To do this, Russia has moved its technique and its tanks from the Crimean peninsula, managing to take control of several cities, such as Melitopol, Berdyansk and Khersonblockading the city of Mariupol, which is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The city of Mykolayivmidway between Kherson and Odessahas become a symbol of resistance since the beginning of the war.

According to several sources consulted by EFE, the Russian troops intended to gain the support of the local population of these cities, mostly Russian-speaking, but since the first days of the war their streets have been the scene of protests against the Russian occupation.

“In case our phones are disconnected, we agree to meet every day at 12 noon”explains Ana, a 32-year-old musician from Melitópol, who admits that, although she is a little scared, she prefers “to die in the Ukraine than to live in the DNR”, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.

Konstyantyn Ryzhov, investigative journalist for Khersoncity occupied by Russia since March 1, he says that the Russian army is out of his city and that the special forces rosgvardia and overwho regularly participate in anti-government arrests in Russia, patrol its streets.

Ryzhov, like much of the population, does not recognize the legitimacy of the Russian police: “It is as if our police went to another country to collect fines”it says.

“Ukraine is not Russia. We have gone through the Revolution of Dignity and we already have experience. The Russian forces have this bad habit of taking a person from the crowd (to stop them) and the people there allow it. Here, when they tried to do it, the crowd started attacking the police and they got scared.”commented.

The mayor of Kherson, Igor Kolykhaevhe was even forced to warn the neighbors about the demands of the Russian troops: “Walk one by one, two at most”, “don’t provoke the military” and “Stop at first demand.”

However, Russian troops have not been able to prevent people from holding mass demonstrations in favor of Ukraine and against the invasion.

Ryzhov assures that the main fighting is taking place on the outskirts of Kherson, so it is impossible to leave the city, where food and medicine are scarce.

“There is a serious lack of products and those that exist have risen in price drastically. Not everyone can afford it.”Konstyantyn comments.

However, the journalist considers that the most serious problem is the shortage of medicines: “There are no drugs for patients with chronic diseases or for those with cancer”he assures.

In some occupied cities, the Russian army has brought humanitarian aid, but in those cases the majority of the population does not want to accept it.