Moscow issues passports in parts of occupied Ukraine, pressing on with ‘Russification.’

The Kremlin began formally issuing Russian passports to Ukrainians living under occupation on Saturday, even as Moscow’s forces confront a growing insurgency in areas they control in southern Ukraine and struggle to provide essential services like medical care.

The move to hand out Russian identification papers is just one facet of Russia’s attempts to solidify Moscow’s control in the south, including making the ruble the legal currency and cutting off Ukrainian cellphone networks. The Ukrainian authorities have warned about such a move for weeks, with Ukraine’s foreign ministry saying it would be “a flagrant violation” of the nation’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Ukraine’s military has also claimed to have found evidence of earlier plans by Moscow to issue Russian passports around Kyiv, the capital. Read more

@nytimes