Operation Illegal: Russia Forces Ukrainians in the Temporarily Occupied Territories to Obtain Russian Passports

During the first ten days of October 2026, in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russian security forces, together with the FSB, carried out the next phase of Operation “Illegal-2026,” which is directed against the Ukrainian population. During these raids, the occupiers are searching for people who have refused to obtain Russian passports.

The Russian authorities classify Ukrainians who do not possess documents issued by the aggressor state as “foreign citizens” and apply Russian Federation migration laws to them.

 

The goal of the operation is the forced issuance of passports to Ukrainians, their expulsion from the temporarily occupied territories, the illegal seizure of their property, and their dismissal from their jobs.

The Main Intelligence Directorate emphasizes that such actions by Russia constitute a tool of ethnocide. According to Ukrainian intelligence assessments, the occupiers are attempting to displace local residents from the seized territories and repopulate them with Russian citizens.

In the temporarily occupied territory of Luhansk Oblast, Russian security forces are even checking minors, attempting to force them to obtain Russian passports.

If parents refuse, they are threatened with fines, imprisonment, and the revocation of their parental rights.

Thus, the occupying authorities are using threats and other forms of pressure to force Ukrainian citizens, particularly children, to accept Russian citizenship. Those who refuse to comply with these demands face forced eviction from their homes.

Similar raids as part of Operation “Illegal-2026” are also taking place within the Russian Federation.

There, Russian security forces are screening migrant workers. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR), these workers may subsequently be pressured into signing contracts to serve in the Russian occupation army.

Thus, Operation “Illegal-2026” is being used by Russia not only to tighten control over the population of the occupied Ukrainian territories but also to exert pressure on migrants within its own territory.

This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

Voting has begun in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine for the so-called elections to the Russian State Duma, which Ukraine does not recognize. At the same time, Russian propaganda is spreading stories about alleged high voter turnout at polling stations and attempting to create the impression of “mass support” for the Russian Federation.

Russia is failing to cope with the water crisis in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The occupation administrations are unable to keep up with repairs to the water supply systems, which means local residents may be left without a stable water supply as early as this winter.