Information blockade, ruination of Ukrainian education and persecution for contacts with external world - these are the methods Russia employs to maintain control over the occupied territories of Ukraine.

This idea was voiced by Oleksandr Demchenko, serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Consultant, Come Back Alive Initiatives Center, at the 17^th Annual Kyiv Security Forum “UA: UNITE AGAIN TO DEFEAT THE GLOBAL AGGRESSOR”, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk Foundation “Open Ukraine”.

According to him, since 2022, the number of territories under Russian occupation has increased significantly, on the par with the need to maintain contact with those remaining there.

“It is important not only to receive information from there, but also to convey to people in the occupied territories the truth about what is happening in the free world,” Oleksandr Demchenko emphasizes.

He noted the critical role of projects such as “Donbas Realities,” which have been building a bridge of connection with residents of the occupied regions since the beginning of the war, delivering truthful information to them despite all risks.

“This is much more than pure journalism - it is an attempt to break the information blockade that Russia is weaving to isolate Ukrainians,” the serviceman said.

At the same time, according to him, access to information from the occupied territories is becoming increasingly difficult. People are persecuted even for sharing household information or humanitarian data.

“Anyone who shares any information with the free world risks their lives. People often disappear, end up in torture chambers, or become victims of repression,” he noted.

Oleksandr Demchenko also emphasized that occupation authorities are deliberately eradicating Ukrainian education and impose Russian citizenship by enforced passportization efforts.

“Russia’s goal is to sever all ties between residents and Ukraine and turn them into Kremlin loyalists,” the serviceman concluded.

The Kyiv Security Forum, organized by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk “Open Ukraine” foundation, is the main platform in Ukraine to discuss issues of war and peace, national and global security.