De facto captivity: Ukrainians can only get out of occupied territories through grey areas

The majority of Ukrainians do not enter the territory under the control of the Ukrainian authorities after the demonstrative deportation by the Russians from the temporarily occupied territory. 

Source: Ivan Fedorov, City Mayor of Melitopol, in a comment for the Radio Liberty project called News of the Azov region

Quote: "Dozens of such people have already been "deported" to the last checkpoint since January, with dozens of their propaganda videos recorded. But mostly they leave these people in captivity. No one lets them out anywhere."

Details: Ivan Fedorov said that some people manage to reach the Ukrainian checkpoint through "grey areas" [territories that are not clearly controlled by either Ukraine’s troops or the occupiers – ed.].

Quote: "They go through the grey area to our first Ukrainian checkpoint. Our law enforcement officers meet them there, carry out the appropriate filtering procedures, and after that, they go to Zaporizhzhia, and then some get help, and some go to their relatives – all in different ways," the mayor of Melitopol said. 

Background: Russian troops captured Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on 25 February. Mayor Ivan Fedorov, who is now on the free territory, regularly reports on the state of affairs in the occupied territories of the oblast and explosions in Melitopol.

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