Russia carries out compulsory passportization in occupied territory under threat of seizure of property – British intelligence

14:00, 24.04.2023 1 min read

The Russian occupation administration is coercing the population of the territories temporarily occupied by them to accept Russian passports under the threat of "deportation" and seizure of property.

"Residents in Kherson have been warned that those who have not accepted a Russian passport by June 1, 2023 will be 'deported' and their property seized," according to a defense intelligence report on Twitter by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's Ministry of Defense on Monday morning.

However, intelligence said Russia uses passports as a tool for the "Russification" of the occupied areas, as it did in the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions before the start of a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russia is likely expediating the integration of Ukraine's occupied territories into the bureaucracy of Russia to help paint the invasion as a success, especially in the run-up to the 2024 presidential elections.