Russian troops trying to enforce ‘ruble zone’ in Zaporizhia

Kyiv, Apr 29 (EFE).- Russian troops in two occupied southern Ukrainian towns have demanded that store owners stop selling Ukrainian products and change to the Russian ruble as currency, Zaporizhia Regional Military Administration said Friday.

This situation is taking place in villages in Melitopol district, Zaporizhia region, where “the occupation commandant’s office requires entrepreneurs to open shops, cafes, places of rest and leisure,” the Administration said on Telegram.

“One of the conditions for safe work is the absence of Ukrainian goods on store shelves. Instead, Ukrainian entrepreneurs are actively campaigning to trade in goods from the Crimea and introduce a ‘ruble zone,'” it added.

Zaporizhia, where the largest nuclear power plant in Europe is located, is situated north of Crimea, a Ukrainian territory that Russia annexed in 2014 in violation of international treaties.

According to residents of Vasylivka, one of the villages in this region, the number of Russian military personnel has increased significantly in the city, the note said.

“They are located in residential areas to hide behind civilians and use them as human shields,” the Administration said.

“It is also known that the occupiers distribute humanitarian aid and medicine only to those who support them and promote their criminal activities.”

Many residents refuse to cooperate with the Russian troops, it said. EFE

rml-int/tw