How the violent regime transformed life in Melitopol.  Photograph by Jérôme Sessini / Magnum for The New Yorker The Ukrainian government has ordered the surrender of its troops who were still fighting at the Azovstal steel plant, in Mariupol, meaning that Russia now controls the city and other vital territory in southeastern Ukraine. To get a sense of what life under Russian occupation has been like, read Joshua Yaffa’s terrifying feature from this week’s issue, reported from the city of Melitopol, about a hundred and twenty miles west of Mariupol. There he finds stories of political violence, kidnappings, interrogations, torture—as well as the more mundane, yet still destabilizing, aspects of existence under foreign control. An estimated half of the city’s residents have fled. “I understand those who are leaving perfectly well,” the city’s ousted mayor, Ivan Fedorov, says. “We are used to living in a different city, with a different mentality, and a different set of freedoms and values. And they are trying to force new ones on us.” —Ian Crouch, newsletter editor If you like the New Yorker Daily, please share it with a friend. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Sign up here. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment