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Russia is stepping up pressure on civilians in areas under its control in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials, whose forces have stepped up strikes behind enemy lines ahead of the retaliatory strikes.
The offensive could prove a critical opportunity after 14 months of war, not only for Ukraine to regain territory but also to try and persuade Western allies to send more weapons and aid. Anticipating the campaign, and still recovering from the costly and stumbling winter offensive, many Russian troops had moved into defensive positions.
Despite the staggering losses, Russia still controls large areas of Ukraine. But Ukrainian forces have repeatedly attacked Russian positions far from the front, and on Tuesday Russian authorities reported more shelling and – for the second day in a row – explosions that derailed a freight train in the Russian border region.
Russian authorities in the occupied territories, wary of attacks by Ukrainian partisans and special forces, have imposed strict new measures against civilians. Most recently, they have “strengthened” counterintelligence units and restricted travel between cities and villages, Ukraine’s military high command said Tuesday.
Last week, the Kremlin ruled that anyone in the occupied territories who did not receive a Russian passport could be evicted from their homes, an edict that caused confusion and fear among residents, according to Ukrainian military and local officials.
Undercover Russian security officers have also begun working in crowded public spaces to track down members of the Ukrainian resistance, according to the National Resistance Center, a Ukrainian government agency.
Plainclothes officers often initiate conversations “to find disloyal citizens,” the agency said. Ukrainians who “took the bait were forced to continue collaborating with the Russian occupation regime,” he said.
It is virtually impossible to independently verify what is happening in Russian-controlled territory, as independent journalists, humanitarian groups and international observers are rarely granted access by the Russian authorities.
But the Kremlin has made no secret of its efforts to absorb the region into Russia.
Even before President Vladimir V. Putin announced in September the annexation of four Ukrainian provinces, a move widely condemned as illegal, Russian forces implemented measures to Russify the internet and elements of daily life like school curriculum and currency.
Ukrainian officials have mostly urged people living in the occupied territories to resist Russia at all costs, but they have offered mixed advice on how to respond to the new pressure. When the Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner urged people to get Russian passports for their own safety, the deputy prime minister advised them not to take them.
Serhii Khlan, deputy administrator of the Kherson Regional Council, told Ukrainian television on Monday that there was “huge” pressure on the local population. He said people were worried that they would be considered “collaborators” if they received a passport.
Civilians in the occupied territories have described torture and abuse by Russian authorities, and a climate of intense fear and paranoia about who might work with Russia and who might have ties to Ukraine’s military or special forces.
Russia accuses Ukraine of carrying out attacks far from the front lines. Ukrainian officials have mostly refused to confirm or deny responsibility, but have said they have the right to attack places used as grounds for attacks in Ukraine. For this reason, Ukrainian forces have periodically targeted targets inside Russia.
In the Bryansk region early Tuesday, a village less than five miles from the border with Ukraine came under fire, the third day of explosions in the area. The attack started a fire, but there were no casualties, the governor of the region, Aleksandr V. Bogomaz, said in Telegram. He blamed the Ukrainian military, although these claims could not be independently verified.
Later in the day, the Russian railway operator said on Telegram that about 20 cars of the freight train had been derailed because of “illegal interference” from “outside” actors – the second derailment reported in the region in two days.
“An unknown explosive device was found in the area of the Snezhetskaya railway station,” Mr. Bogomaz said.
On Sunday, he said four people in the area were killed by the Ukrainian attack. And on Monday, an explosion caused a freight train to derail in the area. The governor blamed an unknown explosive device, and the state rail service said “intrusion by unauthorized persons” caused the fire.
In March, Ukrainian special forces said they had destroyed an unmanned observation tower in Bryansk, and partisans claiming to be fighting for Ukraine launched an armed attack on a village there, prompting emergency measures from the Kremlin.
Victoria Kim contributed reports from Seoul.
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