Conditions in the Black Sea port city of Kherson, just north of the Crimean Peninsula, have reportedly gotten worse, according to residents who have evacuated the Russian-occupied city.
Volodymyr Zhdanov found life under Russian control to be too much one early morning when rocket fire intended at Ukrainian forces struck close to his home in Kherson, terrifying one of his two children.
His daughter, age 8, “went in terror to the basement. “It was two in the morning and (she) was afraid,” recalled Zhdanov, who later left the Black Sea city and has spent the last three weeks residing in Kyiv, the country’s capital.
The first city to fall following Russia’s invasion on February 24 was Kherson, which is situated to the north of the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014. The port continues to be at the center of the conflict and Ukraine’s fight to maintain its essential seaport. Kherson is a crucial location for Russia along the land route connecting its border with the peninsula.
Zhdanov and others who took the perilous journey to flee the area explain the depressing circumstances there, which are a result of Russia’s oppressive efforts to impose long-term control.
Markets are patrolled by occupation forces to deter people from using the hryvnia, the currency of Ukraine, for transactions. Local and regional governments, as well as the police force, now have pro-Moscow personnel in place. There is pressure on staff at various municipal services to work with Russian managers. Most schools have been shut down.
Uneven distribution of necessities has halted the majority of business operations. There are pharmaceutical shortages and increases in the cost of other goods.
Many locals were adamant about holding out as long as they could in anticipation of a predicted Ukrainian counterattack that never came.
Because there were so many soldiers in the city, Zhdanov said that there was a physical risk there.
Officials placed by Moscow have declared a referendum on whether the territory would become a part of Russia, though no date has been specified. Officials are putting pressure on those who are still alive to become Russian citizens.
After the currency change, Zhdanov’s family’s flower business stopped generating income, but he continued to produce plants nonetheless.
It’s challenging to survive when you don’t have any money or food, he remarked. “If your life, business, and children’s education were taken away from you, who would desire a Russian government? They have all left.
Zhdanov risked being apprehended by stowing a Ukrainian flag in the bottom of his pack when he and his family departed Kherson. He had saved the flag from a demonstration against the deployment of Russian troops.
Officials placed by Moscow have declared a referendum on whether the territory would become a part of Russia, though no date has been specified. Officials are putting pressure on those who are still alive to become Russian citizens.
After the currency change, Zhdanov’s family’s flower business stopped generating income, but he continued to produce plants nonetheless.
It’s challenging to survive when you don’t have any money or food, he remarked. “If your life, business, and children’s education were taken away from you, who would desire a Russian government? They have all left.
Zhdanov risked being apprehended by stowing a Ukrainian flag in the bottom of his pack when he and his family departed Kherson. He had saved the flag from a demonstration against the deployment of Russian troops.
Yevhenia Virlych, a journalist, stayed for five months and continued her work, writing about government officials who were supposedly colluding with the Russians. But while being in hiding, she continued to work out of fear for her life. As a result, she regularly changed apartments and shared pictures of Poland online to give the idea that she had already left.
The region is being pressured to accept Russian passports, according to Virlych, who added that “they have put a noose around Kherson and it’s becoming tighter.” “Russia, which arrived under the pretext of liberty but came to imprison and torture us. Who could live like that? ”
Birch and her spouse eventually escaped to Kyiv last month.
Several Russian military checkpoints must be passed by anyone attempting to exit Kherson. Soldiers inspect people’s possessions, identification documents, and cellphones, and anyone suspected of aiding the resistance is subject to questioning at so-called filtration camps.
Leaving Kherson is becoming more difficult as it descends into poverty. It currently costs the equivalent of $160 to take a bus to Zaporizhzhia, a city located 300 kilometers (185 miles) to the northeast. It cost $10 before the war.
The bravery of both those who are remaining behind and those who risked their lives to participate in anti-Russian demonstrations during the early phases of the occupation, according to Virlych, is something she admires.
She remembers a significant protest that took place on March 5 and was attended by about 7,000 people.
I’ve never seen individuals act in such a way in my entire life, she remarked.
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