Russian occupation in Ukraine: Silent acts of resistance and fear

Three Ukrainians describe everyday life and the risks of defying Russian occupation.

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Three Ukrainians in different Russian-controlled cities have told the BBC of the pressures they face, from being forced to accept a Russian passport to the risks of carrying out small acts of resistance. We are not using their real names for their own safety, and will call them Mavka, Pavlo and Iryna.

The potential dangers are the same, whether in Mariupol or Melitopol, seized by Russia in the full-scale invasion in 2022, or in Crimea which was annexed eight years before.

Mavka chose to stay in Melitopol when the Russians invaded her city on 25 February 2022, "because it is unfair that someone can just come to my home and take it out".

She has lived there since birth, midway between the Crimean peninsula and the regional capital Zaporizhzhia.