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How Russia is driving Ukrainians out of occupied territories

Even as the front line in Ukraine has largely stabilized, another, less visible campaign continues behind it. In the territories occupied by Russia, civilians describe a system of repression, coercion and fear designed to make ordinary life impossible, forcing Ukrainians to abandon their homes while paving the way for a dangerous transformation.

September 11, 2026 - Aleksander Palikot - Issue 5 2026MagazineStories and ideas

Ruined street and destroyed houses in Ukraine. Photo: ChocoPie/Shutterstock

Oksana emerged from a row of metal barracks, her face weary as she glanced around nervously. Only days earlier, she had left her native Kherson region carrying little more than a few bags. The reason for her departure from Russian-occupied Ukraine was simple. “People are being killed. I just had to leave,” she said.

Oksana was one of about two dozen people who crossed the Domanove–Mokrany border crossing between Belarus and Ukraine that day, one of the few remaining routes by which people leaving occupied territory can reach government-controlled Ukraine. In the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Moscow is making only marginal territorial gains and at times even losing ground. Yet, just 100 kilometres from the EU border, it is carrying out a 21st-century forced population transfer in broad daylight.

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