Too often, Western debates about Russia’s occupation of Ukraine reduce it to cartography - shifting frontlines, red arrows and hypothetical discussions of “land swaps”.

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But for the Ukrainians trapped behind Russian lines, it is an environment built to make ordinary life impossible unless they submit to Moscow’s authority.

Leaving is neither simple nor safe. Movement is heavily restricted. Documentation is weaponised. Homes are seized. Families risk detention or retaliation if they attempt to flee. Entire communities exist under conditions where passive non-compliance alone can provoke repression.

And yet resistance has not disappeared. It has adapted.

Across temporarily occupied territories, Ukrainians continue to resist in ways both visible and invisible: hiding Ukrainian books and flags, teaching children the Ukrainian language in secret, monitoring Ukrainian news through VPNs despite the risk of arrest, passing intelligence to Kyiv, helping neighbours escape, sabotaging Russian logistics, and simply refusing to psychologically surrender.

In temporarily occupied and frontline areas, investigators and resistance groups have documented what locals now refer to as Russian “drone safaris” or “human safaris” - the deliberate hunting of civilians by military drone operators. Videos of these attacks have circulated across pro-Kremlin Telegram channels accompanied by mocking captions and further threats against Ukrainians.

One of the clearest examples came in January this year, when Valentyna and Valeriy Klochkovi attempted to flee after spending weeks in hiding. Just kilometres from safety, they were pursued and killed by successive Russian drone strikes. Their deaths show the impossible reality - both staying and leaving can cost your life. This served no military objective. It is murder of the innocent and a crime against humanity.

Ukrainians across temporarily occupied regions describe near-constant surveillance, phone tapping, intimidation, and arbitrary detention. In some areas, simply speaking........

© LBC