Russia sends new FSB agents to beef up repression and passportization in occupied Kherson Oblast
Russia has sent in new Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel to beef up repression and forced passportization in the occupied areas of Kherson Oblast, the Center for National Resistance (CNR) reported on Jan. 7.
Russia currently occupies that strategically important southern Kherson Oblast, which is integral to supplying occupied Crimea. This explains why the Kremlin has dispatched additional FSB ‘idealogues’ to the region, reported the CNR.
The primarily goal of the new FSB agents is to escalate the searches of residents in occupied Kherson Oblast, said the CNR. Special attention will be paid to scrutinizing personal documents, especially those belonging to individuals who are unsupportive of the occupation.
Russian occupying forces will also attempt to compel Ukrainian citizens to obtain Russian passports.
The Russians aim to identify and counteract members of the resistance movement, acknowledging the potency of the Ukrainian underground in tandem with ongoing strikes by the Ukrainian Defense Forces on key military targets in enemy territory, the CNR said.
FSB personnel also protect collaborators in occupation “administrative bodies” and individuals responsible for organizing and conducting the "electoral process" in the occupied territories.
Russia has already deployed around 35,000 troops from the National Guard (Rosgvardia) to the temporarily occupied territories, said the CNR. These forces are designated as rear units with the specific role of suppressing civilian resistance, including screening civilians and identifying participants involved with the underground movement.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
