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Ukrainians under occupation don't have a real choice whether to stay or to leave

Some names have been changed to protect the identities of those featured in the story As a war crimes researcher at the Reckoning Project, my job was to listen to Ukrainians who had fled the occupation. What they had to say reshaped how I understand life in Russian-occupied territories. Simplistic outside judgments about people living under occupation often feel deeply unfair to Ukrainians who escaped it. From a safe distance, it is easy to say, "Why didn't they stay and resist?" or "Why didn'

A man stands on the roof of a house damaged during an overnight Russian attack in Kherson, Ukraine, on October 30, 2023.

About Ukraine

The Kyiv Independent delivers reliable news, context, and on-the-ground reporting from Ukraine. The largest country located entirely in Europe, Ukrainian territory covers 603,628 square kilometers (233,062 square miles), and is bordered by seven countries, namely Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova. Ukraine traces its history back to the medieval state of Kyivan Rus.

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