Exiled mayor: Russia building cell towers in occupied Melitopol to eavesdrop on residents.

Proxy officials in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia Oblast have set up cell towers to eavesdrop on residents and search for "dissidents", exiled mayor Ivan Fedorov reported[1] on Sept.

10. Fedorov said that two of the newly-built towers are located near a hospital and a school. While the situation in Russian-occupied territories is difficult to understand since Ukraine does not have an access to those areas, exiled officials, such as Fedorov, usually have contacts in the occupied hometown, from whom they receive information.

According to Fedorov, the Russians are "keeping a close eye on the 'dissidents,'" having also installed surveillance cameras across the city. The report comes as voting is underway for sham "regional elections" in occupied Ukrainian territories, including Melitopol, as Russia seeks to consolidate its control over these regions. The illegal so-called elections in the occupied territories are being held nearly a year after Russia held sham annexation referendums[2] in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts, which Moscow only partially controls.

The so-called voting began on Aug.

31 and is scheduled to end on Sept.

10.

Russia holds sham 'elections' in occupied Ukrainian territory Voting is underway in sham "regional elections" in occupied Ukrainian territories as Russia seeks to consolidate its control over these regions. The illegal so-called elections in the occupied territories come nearly a year after Russia held sham annexation referendums in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luh...

Reporter

Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent.

She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor's degree in Business Administration at William Woods University in Missouri, U.S.A. She is the winner of the 2023 George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded for "excellent investigative and courageous research activities" as part of Germany's prestigious Axel Springer Prize.

References

1. ^ reported (t.me)
2. ^ sham annexation referendums (kyivindependent.com)
3. ^ Russia holds sham 'elections' in occupied Ukrainian territoryVoting is underway in sham "regional elections" in occupied Ukrainian territories as Russia seeks to consolidate its control over these regions.

   The illegal so-called elections in the occupied territories come nearly a year after Russia held sham annexation referendums in Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Luh... (kyivindependent.com)