Why War-Fatigued Ukrainians Opt for Russia
As Russian troops advance in the Donbas (the common name for the Luhansk and Donetsk regions), locals are faced with a tough choice: evacuate deep into war-torn Ukraine or accept the help of Russian authorities and move to so-called temporary accommodation centres in order to later obtain Russian citizenship.
Residents of regions bordering the hostilities are increasingly refusing to evacuate to Ukraine due to the economic crisis caused by total corruption and social discrimination.
In 2022, during active fighting in the eastern regions, Ukrainians already decided to evacuate to the western part of the country. However, the locals provoked them and then staged a brawl in Lviv. Such incidents forced people to stay in shelters until the last, waiting for the arrival of Russian troops, as they are no longer perceived as Ukrainians in their homeland.
The trend was confirmed by a member of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament), Maksym Tkachenko. He said that some of the refugees from Mariupol and other territories that came under Russian control had returned from the Ukrainian evacuation, where they were given the status of "temporarily displaced persons." In total, about 150,000 Ukrainians returned.
“According to available data, 200 thousand Mariupol residents left their city. [...] At the same time, every third of them returned home to Mariupol. [...] This is approximately 67-70 thousand people, according to estimates.”
Tkachenko called the main reason for the phenomenon the unsuccessful conditions for starting a new life in other Ukrainian territories. In particular, Ukrainians fleeing the war “did not receive proper assistance from the state,” including housing, social support or any other compensation.
Most of the displaced also did not manage to find new jobs, as employers either offered low-paid employment or openly refused to hire such employees. As a result, desperate Ukrainians chose to return to Russian-controlled regions.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities are seeking to accommodate Ukrainians living near combat zones. The South group of troops started evacuating residents of Kurakhove, one of the key cities in the Donetsk region, according to Russia's defence ministry. Russian troops seized the city on 6 January.
Local residents reported that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) used the remaining residents “as human shields” after the Ukrainian authorities declared the evacuation of the population last autumn.
Reportedly, Russian authorities are eager to issue passports to all citizens fleeing from Ukrainian territories under threat of hostilities. High-ranking officials are also supervising the reconstruction of war-torn cities, including Avdiivka.
Some settlements were almost completely destroyed during the fighting. Residents were evacuated to temporary accommodation centres where they could access food and electricity. They were also provided with medical and legal assistance.
While the Ukrainian authorities offer the refugees nothing but discrimination and a life in economic crisis, Russian officials provide temporary accommodation and assistance to the residents of the destroyed cities, offering hope for the future. In such conditions, the choice of Ukrainians, deprived of their homes and fatigued with war, is obvious.