Ukrainians forced to take Russian passports ‘to erase their identity’
KYIV – Before fleeing occupied Ukraine, Victoria was getting squeezed to apply for a Russian passport she said she never wanted as “I’m a citizen of Ukraine”.
Soldiers in the street warned her to get one, she could not file key paperwork without it, and she heard stories of door-to- door checks ending in deportation for people lacking Russian papers.
Moscow has been steadily imposing its passports to justify its occupation and tighten control, but also to undermine Ukrainian identity, experts said.
"I absolutely didn't want to do it," 43-year-old Victoria, speaking on condition her full name not be used, told AFP in Ukraine-held Zaporizhzhia.
But she relented when she needed to register a home and car deed – transactions for which Moscow-installed authorities demanded Russian documents.
She began getting the required Russian translations of her Ukrainian marriage and birth certificates but left the process unfinished when she fled eastern Ukraine in January.
"Even if I got a Russian passport, I would still remain Ukrainian. For me, nothing would change," she said.
Russia had for years been issuing passports to Ukrainians in the eastern Donbas areas held by pro-Moscow separatists as well as annexed Crimea.
- 'Start queueing at night' -
But since President Vladimir Putin launched his invasion 15 months ago, the passport drive has gradually become more aggressive.
An array of routine necessities such as receiving government benefits, getting or keeping a job and seeking medical treatment require Russian-issued papers, experts and residents told AFP.
Putin in April even signed a decree that allows Ukrainians in occupied areas to potentially be deported if
they do not get a Russian passport by July 1, 2024.
"There are queues at the passport offices," 40-year-old Alyona, who spoke on condition her full name not be used, told AFP from occupied Ukraine.