in the territories under Russian control, Moscow wants a return to normal life

When it accompanies foreign journalists into the Ukrainian territories under its control, the Russian army leaves nothing to chance, whether in the security of the premises or what it wishes to show. In Berdyansk (Ukraine), under the portrait of Vladimir Putin recently hung on the wall, Ukrainians receive Russian passports. In this city located in the very south of Ukraine, Moscow has already distributed 2,500 passports, as if to show that the Russians will be there for a long time.

Many of those affected are retirees. For three months, the Ukrainian government has been unable to pay their pensions, so Russia has promised them that the payments will resume. Wherever the Kremlin takes journalistshe wants to show that he helps southern Ukraine rebuild. In Mariupol (Ukraine), Russia is financing the construction of a few buildings. However, despite communication from Moscow, the regions under Russian control are far from returning to normal life. A mine in the Donbass is running in slow motion, because a third of the miners are at the front and spare parts are no longer arriving.