Russia issues passports in occupied Ukrainian territories to paint invasion as success – UK intelligence
Russia distributes its passports in the occupied territories of Ukraine to paint the invasion as a success and also to "Russify" these territories.
The UK Ministry of Defense reported this in a daily update on Twitter, citing intelligence data.
"The authorities in occupied areas of Ukraine are almost certainly coercing the population to accept Russian Federation passports," the summary states.
As the report noted, Russia is using passports as a tool to "Russify" the occupied territories, as was the case in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the period before Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"Russia is likely expediating the integration of the occupied areas of Ukraine into the bureaucracy of the Russian Federation to help paint the invasion as a success, especially in the run-up to the 2024 presidential elections," British intelligence said.
As was reported earlier, Russia-appointed occupation in the temporarily occupied territories has propagated the Ukrainian population to accept Russian passports in an attempt to annex the lands. Residents in Kherson have been warned that those who have not accepted a Russian passport by 01 June 2023 will be "deported" and their property seized.
