“There, it was unbearable, as if we had a rope around our necks that were tightened little by little”, laments Igor, 43 years old. Despite the fear, despite the climate of distrust and terror, the Ukrainian left his city of Melitopol, under Russian occupation, before the trap closed on him. He has just arrived in Zaporizhia – the city is under Ukrainian control unlike the rest of his region. From September 23 to 27, the inhabitants of the regions occupied by Russia in Ukraine are called to vote. A referendum in the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporijjia and Kherson should lead to the attachment of these territories to the Russian Federation.
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A strong symbol for the Kremlin, also a way to swell the ranks of the Russian army. Men from these territories, like Igor, fear being recruited once their territory becomes Russian. “I understood that after the referendum, the Russians were going to nab all the Ukrainian men to send them to the armyexplains Igor. And then the Russian propaganda announced that it was 10 years in prison if we did not answer the summons. It was all too much for me, so I left.”
Indeed, after the referendum, if the “yes” wins, the occupied territories will belong to the Russian Federation. Its inhabitants will therefore be Russians, according to Moscow, and therefore mobilizable in the army, as Vladimir Putin announced, Wednesday, September 21, the partial mobilization. This is why Victor, 37, fled his village: “There, they are preparing the referendum, there is mobilization, and I am not ready to fight for this country”.
“After the referendum, it is very likely that we will no longer be able to reach the territory controlled by Ukraine”
Victor, 37-year-old Ukrainianat franceinfo
According to several testimonies, confirmed by a local elected official, men aged 18 to 35 are now prohibited from leaving the occupied territories. So today, in the reception center of Zaporijjia, refugees are scarce. “There are fewer and fewer people at the moment, points out Daniel, a volunteer. The young men are stopped at roadblocks. The Russians take them out of the cars and leave them in the occupied territories.” He saw “the situation has changed since the announcement of the referendum”.
Before, there were 1,200 to 1,500 refugees passing through here every day. They are now only a few hundred.
Ukrainians flee possible conscription into the Russian army – report by Boris Loumagne and Éric Audra
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