Zaporizhzhia is ‘ethnically cleansed’ as Putin resettles hundreds of Russians in occupied Ukrainian metropolis
Vladimir Putin is resettling thousands of Russians in the occupied Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia in a move that has been likened to ‘ethnic cleansing’.
Russian troops captured two villages in eastern and southern Ukraine on Saturday, March 29, as it continues to advance into Ukrainian territory amid stumbling efforts for a ceasefire by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The defence ministry said Moscow‘s forces captured the village of Shchebraki in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Panteleimonivka in the eastern Donetsk region.
And in an attempt to ensure their capture of the territory lasts, hundreds of thousands of Russians have been resettled in the regions.
It has led some to label the move as ‘ethnic cleansing’.
One female resident of Berdiansk, a port city in Zaporizhzhia, where plain-clothed soldiers often venture, told The Times how the area has begun being occupied by the new settlers.
The 52-year-old, who wished to remain anonymous, said: ‘Since most of the residents have left and there is no one to work in state enterprises, the city has begun to be populated by Russians.’
Those who have moved to the area have allegedly been offered larger salaries with the promise of being able to fill the homes which were abandoned by fleeing Ukrainians.
Vladimir Putin (above) is resettling thousands of Russians in the occupied Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia in a move that has been likened to ‘ethnic cleansing’
The defence ministry said Moscow ‘s forces captured the village of Shchebraki in the southern Zaporizhzhia (above) region and Panteleimonivka in the eastern Donetsk region
Russia is continuing to advance into Ukrainian territory amid stumbling efforts for a ceasefire by U.S. President Donald Trump (above)
Another anonymous female resident said: ‘The military administration sometimes visits houses and apartments under the pretext they are looking for a criminal, then check who has left and who has stayed to make a census of which housing is empty.
‘Many residents who left have been left without their homes and businesses.’
More than one third of residents have left Zaporizhzhia since Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The governor of the city told The Telegraph that only ‘slightly’ less people had since resettled in the region.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 170 drones into the country overnight, striking targets in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Khmelnytskyi regions.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched more than 170 drones into the country overnight
He said four people were killed in Dnipro, where a strike hit a hotel complex, and 21 others were injured, including a pregnant woman.
President Zelensky said: ‘Russia is making a mockery of peacekeeping efforts around the world. It is dragging out the war and sowing terror because it still feels no real pressure.’
Regional Governor Oleg Sinegubov said the strikes on Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region killed one person and wounded 14 others.
For several weeks, Donald Trump has been attempting to broker a ceasefire covering the Black Sea and strikes targeting energy infrastructure in both nations.
While both countries agreed to the truces in principle, their implementation remains unclear and Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of seeking to derail them.
