Russian occupiers to ban Mariupol residents from leaving their neighbourhoods – advisor to the mayor

UKRAINSKA PRAVDA – FRIDAY, 3 JUNE 2022, 19:14

Russian occupation authorities in Mariupol have announced their intentions to strengthen "filtration" measures against the local residents and to make it de facto impossible to leave the bounds of their neighbourhoods.

Source: Petro Andriushchenko, advisor to the mayor of Mariupol, on Telegram

Quote: "Yesterday [2 June - ed.] a decision to strengthen the filtration regime was taken during a big meeting of the Russian military, the occupation authorities and [their Ukrainian] collaborators in Mariupol.

It has been decided to make it de facto impossible to move between the city’s neighbourhoods or to leave the city by dragging out procedural delays. There are two reasons for this: the growing discontent within the city, and the uncontrolled information leaks [from Mariupol - ed.] to Ukraine. Therefore, search and enforcement units will be reinforced and the searches for Ukrainian activists will be intensified."

Details: According to the mayor’s advisor, the Russian occupiers have also appointed Kostiantyn Ivashchenko, a collaborator with the Russian authorities, as the head of the territorial defence of the so-called "Donetsk People’s Republic" in Mariupol. [In April, Ivashchenko was appointed as mayor of Mariupol by the Russian occupation authorities - ed.] Russia wants to get rid of Ivashchenko and blame him for the anti-Russian sentiment in Mariupol.

Andriushchenko also said that the Russian authorities have discussed the risk of a cholera outbreak and epidemic in Mariupol due to the water pollution and mass fish deaths in the Sea of Azov. Preliminary agreement has been reached on quarantining Mariupol and banning its residents from leaving the city.

Andriushchenko addressed the residents of Mariupol and urged them not to return to the city under any circumstances but, where possible, to flee to Ukrainian-controlled territories, or even go to other countries via Russia.

He also reported that Russian occupation forces have taken all the cars that were still in the city to a lot on Mariupol’s outskirts and have requested that their owners make themselves known by 1 July; otherwise, the cars will be nationalised. Andriushchenko believes that in this way, Russia is trying to "lure" male residents back to Mariupol in order to force them to work or join the Russian army.

Andriushchenko also reported that "Z-volunteers" in Mariupol are offering to get Mariupol residents’ cars back to them for money.

Background:

• Vadym Boichenko, Mayor of Mariupol, said on 3 June that Russian occupiers are torturing and killing Ukrainian officials who have refused to cooperate with collaborators and the occupying authorities.
• According to Mariupol City Council, more than 100,000 people remain in Mariupol, and they have not had access to drinking water or food since April.
• On 31 May, Andriushchenko said that the annexation of Mariupol by Russia has moved to the next, active, stage of implementation in which Mariupol residents are being forcibly issued with Russian passports.