Sberbank moves in, ruble replaces hryvnia in occupied territories - ISW

Sberbank’s subsidiary, SberMobile, has officially launched operations in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. ISW analysts say this indicates a deepening integration of these areas into Russia’s financial system.

The Russian authorities in Kherson announced the launch of the SberMobile telecom operator in the seized territories of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.

This is the first Russian federal mobile operator to begin operations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

The launch coincided with the start of a two-day business forum attended by representatives of the VEB.RF corporation, Russian officials, and the so-called administrations of the Luhansk region.

ISW analysts’ conclusions

According to experts, Russia aims to force the occupied regions to rely on its banking infrastructure, gradually cutting them off from Ukraine’s economy.

This is part of a systematic process of colonizing Ukrainian territories, as such moves complicate the eventual reintegration of these areas into Ukraine’s legal and economic systems.

With each new step — from bank cards to mobile services — Russian influence becomes entrenched not only territorially but also mentally.

Notably, ISW estimates that Moscow uses the war not only for territorial expansion but also to offset economic losses by trying to sustain its stagnating economy through control over the occupied regions.

Therefore, it’s important to understand that Sberbank and its affiliates play a central role in the financial annexation of Ukrainian territories. Behind the polished rhetoric of development and access to services lies a clear strategy: to make occupied Ukraine even more dependent on Moscow - financially, technologically, and politically.

For more details on how Russia steals and breaks the lives of Ukrainian children, read the full article by RBC-Ukraine.