Water and electricity are regularly cut off, food is expensive, and Russia keeps coming up with new regulations to force Ukrainians in the occupied territories to accept Russian citizenship. What people there are saying. DW report.
"They tell us that Russia did a lot for us. But I only see one thing - that I don't have enough money to live like before. I used to live perfectly well, and now I can barely make ends meet", Oksana (name changed) from Novoaydar tells DW.
The village is 60 km from Lugansk, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014. In the spring of 2022, with the beginning of the invasion, the Russian army reached Novoaydar, as well as the cities of Lysychansk, Severskodonetsk and Rubezhnoye, taking control of almost the entire Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.
Since then, the population of Novoaydar has decreased by a third. "Only the elderly people remain - the young have fled to other parts of Ukraine or abroad," says Oksana. She complains that her village is suffering from the war, her house has been damaged by shelling. But the occupation authorities are not providing assistance in its reconstruction.
Neighbors help each other
Before the Russian invasion, Oksana sold food products she produced herself. Now she no longer has any animals, and she cannot sell vegetables - to do so, she would have to register a company under Russian law. "We grow vegetables only for our own needs now and exchange goods with our neighbors," she says.
In order to live normally, according to Oksana, people's salaries here should be at least 40,000 rubles (about 440 euros). However, many of her fellow villagers, such as postmen, do not earn even 200 euros. Job advertisements on local social networks are mainly in the service sector and construction.
Siversko-Donetsk is looking for plumbers with a salary of about 1,320 euros, almost the same is offered at the Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant. There are also advertisements on social media with offers to sign a contract with the Russian army - for a salary of about 2,400 euros.
Oksana's father continues to receive a Ukrainian pension, but to do so he has to use a VPN to access the portal of the Ukrainian pension fund, which is blocked by the occupiers. "We couldn't manage without this pension," says Oksana. It's 61 euros. "That's enough for food for only a week," explains the woman, who is also forced to spend her family's savings.
Oksana complains that food prices have risen and that there are now only two shops in Novoaydar. "In Luhansk you can buy eggs for half the price here," the woman says. That's why she goes there every two weeks to shop.
The power cuts are constant
The Ukrainian regional administration of Luhansk, which is located in the Kiev-controlled part of the city, learns about the problems of people in the occupied areas mainly from social media.
The power and water cuts are discussed there. "In the summer, Siversko-Donetsk regularly goes without both power and water, and at the same time. The water supply is being cut off, supposedly because of repairs to electrical appliances, and the electricity is being cut off, supposedly because of work on pumping stations,” Oleksiy Kharchenko, head of the Luhansk regional administration, told DW.
But without electricity, there is no internet, Oksana adds. She says that the connection through the mobile operator “Lugacom,” which served the occupied Luhansk region, is poor. In addition, many sites are blocked. “Even Viber can only be opened via VPN.” Oleksiy Kharchenko is nevertheless hopeful: “A chatbot is currently being tested on Telegram, developed mainly for communication with residents of the occupied regions.” The head of the regional administration points out that there are also many complaints on social networks about the insufficient number of doctors, including in cities.
„Once a year, a group of Russian doctors comes to the region. They serve a certain area for a month, after which you have to rely on local doctors again. But when you go to the clinic, they tell you, “There are no doctors at the moment. You have no choice but to borrow money and seek private medical care,” Oksana complains. In addition, the clinics do not serve patients without a Russian passport.
People may be left without housing
Olexiy Kharchenko points out that since the beginning of the year, residents of the occupied territories who have not taken Russian citizenship have been considered foreigners or stateless persons in Russia. “Thus, they are deprived of social benefits and privileges, as well as the right to medical care,” he says.
However, acquiring Russian citizenship also means a commitment to possible mobilization in the Russian army, which repels many. “And the occupiers are introducing new and new restrictions to force people to take citizenship“, Kharchenko points out.
According to him, in March the occupiers began seizing the apartments and houses of people who left the Luhansk region. “According to Russian law, living space that has been inventoried and declared “not belonging to anyone“ can be transferred by the court as municipal property“, Kharchenko explains.
“Why should I go elsewhere”
To avoid this, Oksana from Novoaydar had to provide Russian documents for her house. According to Kharchenko, the new requirements are another means of putting pressure on people in the occupied territories who refuse Russian passports. Some are even returning to the occupied areas just to save their property.
By decree of Russian President Putin, all people who do not have Russian citizenship must leave the occupied territories by September 10. However, Oksana wants to stay in Novoaydar and says: “Why should I go begging somewhere else, when I have everything here? This will end someday. We are waiting for everything to be the same as before. Most people here live with this attitude“.