Russian ‘Peace’ in Practice: Life under Russian Occupation in Ukraine

This report synthesizes findings from 17 interviews with residents of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions who lived under Russian occupation, documenting how information blackouts, misinformation/disinformation, coercive administrative policies (passport pressure, service denial), material incentives, indoctrination in schools, and physical violence combined to produce a form of "cognitive occupation" that erodes hope, identity, and resistance; the authors argue prolonged occupation deepens integration into Russia and makes de-occupation harder while underscoring the human cost of any proposal to freeze the conflict.