BBC
The poster of the Russian Call urges locals of occupied Meritpol to “professor the homeland.”
The fifth of Ukrainian territory is currently under Russian control, and for Ukrainians living under occupation, it seems unlikely that future deals that end the war could change that.
Three Ukrainians from various Russian-controlled cities told the BBC the pressure they face, from being forced to accept Russian passports to risking minor acts of resistance. We do not use their real names for their own safety and we call them Mavka, Pavlo, Iryna.
The potential danger is the same whether it is Maripol or Melitopol, seized by Russia in a full-scale invasion in 2022 or by Russia in Crimea, annexed eight years ago.
Mavka chose to stay in Meritpol when the Russians invaded her city on February 25, 2022.
She has lived there since birth in the middle of the Crimean Peninsula and the region’s capital, Zaporisia.
In recent months, she has noticed an increase in militarization of all living areas, including schools, as well as the strict “will” policy of the city.
She shares a photo of a sign promoting conscription for young locals, a school notebook with a portrait of Putin, and a photo of students wearing Russian military uniforms instead of school costumes (boys and girls), as well as photos of them performing military education work.
According to Pablo, Mariupol City feels that it is “blocked” from the outside world, about 200 km (125 miles) along the coast of the Azov Sea and far closer to the Russian border.
This important port and hub of Ukrainian steel industry was captured in 2022 after a devastating siege and artillery fire that lasted almost three months.
If you want to work, study, or provide emergency medical assistance, Russian citizenship is a duty, says Pablo.
“If someone’s child refuses to sing the Russian national anthem at school in the morning, FSB [Russia’s security service] Visiting parents, they “surrounded by pencils, then anything happens.”
Reuters/Alexander Elmochenko
After more than three years under Russian rule, Mariupol feels “blocked” from the outside world, Pablo says
Pablo survived the siege despite being shot six times, including his head.
Now that he has recovered, he feels he cannot leave due to his older relatives.
“Most of those who stayed in Mariupol or returned to Japan did so to help their elderly parents and sick grandparents.
The biggest preconceived notion in Maripol is that most of the property damaged by Russian artillery fire has been demolished, and the costs of living and unemployment are rising so you’re holding on to your home.
“I think 95% of all the stories in town are about property. How to charge it, how to sell it. When you hear people talk about it, you buy bread, you buy it, you buy it, you buy it anywhere,” he says.
EPA-EFE/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
Most of the Maripol homes damaged by Russian artillery fire have been demolished
Crimea has been occupied since Vladimir Putin annexed the peninsula in 2014, when the Russian war in Ukraine began.
Iryna decided to remain in the care of her elderly relatives because she didn’t want to leave “her beautiful home.”
All signs of Ukrainian identity are prohibited in public places, and Irina says she cannot speak Ukrainians in public “because you don’t know who can tell you the authorities.”
Children in Crimean nursery schools are told to sing the Russian national anthem every morning, even the youngest. All teachers are Russian, most of them wives of soldiers who have moved from Russia.
Iryna occasionally places a traditional embroidered Vyshyvanka top when she is making video calls with friends elsewhere on the peninsula.
“It helps keep our spirits high and remind us of our happy lives before the occupation.”
This leaflet in the Crimean tree shows the rebellious statement of a Ukrainian woman from Vishvanka that “it’s not yours.”
However, the risk is high even when wearing a visebanca. “They may not shoot you right away, but you can quietly disappear later,” she declares.
She says her Ukrainian friend is being questioned by police after a Russian neighbor who came to Crimea in 2014 told the police that she had illegal weapons. “Of course he didn’t. Luckily they ended up letting him go, which is very scary.”
“Because solder can put your gun on you and say abusive things or be willing to order them,” Iryna said.
Locals occupied in Crimea share images of Ukrainian military attacks against Russian targets on the peninsula
Resistance in occupied Ukrainian cities is dangerous, and there are often small acts of rebellion aimed at reminding the inhabitants that they are not alone.
In Meritpol, Mavka says she is part of a secret female resistance movement called Zla Mavka (Angry Mavka).
According to Iryna, the network consists of women and girls from “almost all occupied cities,” but it cannot be revealed about its size or size due to the potential dangers of its members.
Mavka explains her role in running the network’s social media accounts. This involves documenting life under occupation and acts like “reminding other Ukrainians that they are not alone,” or even riskier practices place Ukrainian symbols and leaflets in public places.
The park bench leaflet says that the Mavka movement has “power,” quotes the famous quote from the national poet Taras Shevchenko: “Fight, you will overcome.”
“Sometimes we also put alcohol and baked goods as ‘welcome packs’ for Russian soldiers,” she says.
The punishment for such conduct that the BBC cannot verify is serious.
Russian occupation authorities treat Ukrainian or Ukraine-related things as extremists, says Mavka.
The Ukrainian is well aware of what happened to journalist Victoria Rosztina, 27, who disappeared in 2023 while investigating allegations of torture prison in eastern Ukraine.
Russian authorities told her family he died in custody in September 2024. Her body was returned earlier this month, with several organs removed and there were clear signs of torture.
Global Image Ukraine via Getty Images
Viktoriia Roshchyna was first held in Meritpol under Russian occupation before moving to Russian prisons
A quiet loss disappearance is what Mavka fears most.
Her network developed a series of tasks for new Joiners to pass to avoid penetration. So far, we have been able to avoid cyberattacks.
For now, they are waiting. “We can’t take arms now and fight the occupying people, but we want to show that at least the pro-Ukrainian population is here, and that’s here too.”
She and others in Melitpol are closely tracking what is happening in Kiev. “Because it’s important to know if Kiev is ready to fight for us.
“We have a roller coaster of mood here, and documents that many people are concerned about may be signed.
The concern for Mavka and her people nearby is that if Kyiv agrees to a ceasefire, it could mean pursuing the same policies as Crimea, erasing Ukrainian identity and suppressing the population.
“They have already replaced local people with theirs. But the people here are still hopeful and we will continue to resist, we just have to be more creative.”
Unlike Mavka, Pablo believes that the war must end, even if it means losing the ability to return to Ukraine.
“Human life is of greatest value… But there are certain conditions in a ceasefire, and not everyone agrees to raise questions. Why have all these people died in the last three years?
Pablo is wary of speaking through encrypted lines, but “No one involved in this decision-making process says vyfully. It’s simple, not black and white.
Irina fears the next generation of Crimea, who grew up in an atmosphere of violence, and copies her father who returned from the Russian war against Ukraine.
She shows me a bandaged pussy and says that a child on the street shot it with a rubber bullet.
“It was fun for them. These kids are not taught to build peace, they are taught to fight. It breaks my heart.”
