Russian Patrols Search Mariupol for Underground Partisans

Partisans in the city of Mariupol, Donetsk region, report a recent increase in Russian occupation patrols searching for active members of the Ukrainian resistance movement throughout the Berdyansk-Mariupol area.

A representative of the partisan movement in Mariupol told Kyiv Post that the Russians have returned to the practice of city block searches, door-to-door visits with “conversations,” and a general increase in patrols deployed throughout the city.

“They stop both cars and pedestrians. Mostly they check citizens of Slavic appearance,” said one Mariupol partisan, who did not give his name because of security measures.

The partisan said that when the Russians stop a car, they check everything:

“If they stop a car, they check the trunk, glove compartment, under the carpet, under the seat. They also check personal belongings – documents, phones, and other things. They are looking for a lot of things – from phone numbers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces to pro-Ukrainian websites.”

Despite all the security measures taken by the Ukrainian partisans, there is always a chance of falling into the hands of Russian patrols, the partisans said.

“There are always chances. But we usually ‘evacuate’ those who are caught. There are ways,” they said, without going into detail about methods of evacuation.

According to them, if the Russian special services did find at least some hint of a pro-Ukrainian position and possible affiliation with the guerrilla movement, they then interrogate the suspect: “Depending on who they got. If it’s the DPR, then the person they find ( with Ukrainian websites on the phone) could be beaten. And then there is an interrogation with a polygraph and a coerced pledge not to leave,” a Mariupol guerrilla tells Kyiv Post.

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The partisans said the new measures are the result of successful guerrilla work in Ukraine’s occupied territories.