Occupants prepare mass resettlement of Russian citizens in Zaporizhzhia region
Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol (photo: Getty Images)
Russia has planned a massive settlement of the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region with its citizens. In this way, they want to "extinguish" Ukrainian resistance, states the mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov.
According to Fedorov, the Kremlin plans to settle the occupied territories not only with Russians but also with residents of Belarus and Kazakhstan. This Russian plan, designed to counteract Ukrainian resistance, is called the Zaporizhzhia Virgin Lands.
"They are trying to carry out a massive resettlement of Russian citizens to the temporarily occupied territory. And not only Russian citizens. They are ready to buy personnel to move to the temporarily occupied territory, settle in our seized apartments and houses, and thus solve their demographic problems," explained Fedorov.
Situation in Zaporizhzhia region
Russian troops occupied the territories along the Azov Sea in the first months of the full-scale invasion. The cities of Melitopol, Berdiansk, and Tokmak became the main points of the Russians.
As Fedorov stated earlier, the occupiers turned Melitopol into a continuous testing ground for military technologies. Russians have set up military training bases around the city. Several times a week, residents hear unexplained explosions and a rumble.
