Ukrainian Defense Ministry press secretary, Colonel Maksym Prauta says the Russian occupation authorities in Donbas have increase pressure on people who have not renounced Ukrainian citizenship.
"Russian occupation administrations are increasing pressure on residents of the temporarily occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, who are not willing to renounce Ukrainian citizenship. In particular, CEOs of certain enterprises don't pay wages, or lower them, to workers who have not obtained the so-called 'republican passports' [self-proclaimed 'Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics ('DPR'/'LPR')", Prauta told a briefing on January 24, referring to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate.
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At the same time, employees of enterprises are being informed about the possibility of obtaining Russian citizenship immediately if they are holders of "passports" of the "DPR" and "LPR."
According to intelligence reports, rumors are being intensively spread among pensioners that the "authorities" are drafting "orders" to pay pensions only to holders of the "republican passports" and that forcible withdrawal of Ukrainian IDs is coming.
This causes discontent among local elderly people due to their reluctance to replace documents to retain pensions from the Ukrainian government, according to Prauta.
As UNIAN reported earlier, Russians have tripled their reconnaissance efforts in Donbas, which indicates that they could be preparing for a full-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine.
