Military intelligence revealed by Ukraine’s defense ministry on Friday shows Russian occupation officials are forcefully handing Luhansk People’s Republic passports to Ukrainians deported to Russia-occupied areas. Such cases are reportedly happening in Sorokine, Luhansk region where desperate locals have to agree to getting a new citizenship status as it makes it easier for them to be provided with such much-needed essentials as food supplies, medicinal assistance, and some payments in rubles.
Meanwhile, those who refuse to apply for a new passport are given a ‘pep talk’ and warned they will get in trouble and be left empty-handed.
The new intel report also points to growing staffing issues in the ‘law-enforcement agencies’ in occupied Luhansk and Donetsk after the most of their police force was sent to the front-lines in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Kherson regions while the hastily hired replacements have no experience and are failing to perform id and vehicle checks at Sorokine.