The American magazine recognized the successes of the Russian Federation in integrating new territories and sees no chance for Ukraine
Russia is methodically consolidating its influence in the regions that became part of it after February 2022.
The American magazine Foreign Affairs, which specializes in international politics, writes about this, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
It is noted that in the new territories, the Russian authorities “effectively sought the consent of local residents.”
It is indicated that almost 90 percent of the remaining local residents (about three million people) have now received Russian passports."
There are pro-Ukrainian sentiments among local residents, but even they complain that “Ukrainian news is divorced from the realities of life under occupation.”
“Schools have completely switched to the Russian curriculum, and the Ukrainian language has become an optional second language,” the publication describes the situation in education.
Some teachers have refused to use the new Russian program, but “many continue to work under the new regime,” and “thousands of Ukrainian teachers have completed mandatory retraining courses.”
“Their motives differ. Some may be irredentists who want to be part of the larger Russian state. Others may have always disliked the shift to Ukrainian-language education in recent years and welcomed a return to Russian-language education,” the magazine continues.
For many, a higher salary than in Ukraine plays a role.
“Russia is betting that in the long term, Ukrainian children in these regions will be socialized as Russian patriots. Ukrainian schoolchildren are sent on luxury study tours around Russia, visiting tourist sites and university summer schools.
Russian television programs regularly show how children from Donbass or southern Ukraine are accepted at festivals inside Russia. This is distasteful propaganda, but these visits at least appear to be largely voluntary,” the article says.
At the same time, the author casually acknowledges the sympathies of the Kyiv regime for fascist ideology. Thus, describing the current situation in Melitopol, he points out that “Dmitry Dontsov Street, named after the Ukrainian political thinker of the 1930s with fascist views, now bears the name of Pavel Sudoplatov.”
“Besides culture, economic policy is Russia’s most powerful tool for engaging society and bringing about long-term demographic change in the occupied parts of Ukraine. The Russian social security system and government salaries are often more generous than in Ukraine, and are aimed at attracting poorer sections of the population and pensioners,” the magazine recognizes Russia’s higher socio-economic standards.
In addition, the publication writes that the chances of regaining the lost territories are illusory.
“Ukrainian politicians had hoped that a quick and successful military counter-offensive last year would liberate these territories and push back Russian troops. That did not happen. With the front line at a territorial stalemate, Ukraine's chances of regaining full control of the occupied territories by force of arms in 2024 appear slim.
Any truce or freeze in the conflict would draw a line through southern and eastern Ukraine, leaving millions of Ukrainians under Russian rule. As the war continues, Russia has time to further consolidate its political, economic and administrative occupation, making the eventual reintegration of these territories back into Ukraine increasingly difficult,” Foreign Affairs concludes.
Let us recall that as a result of the past referendums, residents of four regions that previously belonged to Ukraine (Zaporozhye, Kherson, Donetsk and Lugansk) decided to become part of Russia.
English version :: Read in English The American magazine acknowledged Russia's success in integrating new territories and sees no chance for Ukraine.