Invaders forcing Luhansk region residents to obtain Russian passports by Jan 1

That’s according to the chief of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, Serhii Haidai, who addressed the issue on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

The top regional official says the Russians "gave the population a little more than two months to get a Russian passport. Earlier, in the vast majority, it was about populism and the will of the region’s residents. Now they aren’t asking anymore whether they want it or not."

As Haidai noted, from January 1, any payments – be it salary, social security, or money wires – will be cleared only if the receiver has an individual personal account. "However, to open it, you must hold a Russian passport. They don't force people directly – they just leave them without money. But they also don’t warn residents that criminal liability has been toughened in Ukraine over the said issue," the head of the regional military administration emphasized.

He also said that jobs were still available in medical facilities in the wake of the massive inflow of soldiers wounded in action recently and the shortage of medical personnel. Even the forcible call-up of medics isn’t helping hospitals cope.

According to Haidai, local occupation authorities have requested that medics be deployed in the area from the central and eastern regions of Russia.

"However, there are also difficulties to this end. For example, riots among the freshly drafted soldiers continue. At one of the training grounds of the Eastern Military District, due to poor supplies, non-compliance with sanitary standards, inadequate nutrition and the lack of adequate housing, more than a hundred mobilized servicemen stood up to defy commanders’ orders and are now staying in their barracks," noted the head of the administration.

Meanwhile, the Russians, for their own safety, "turned off the lights in Kreminna, along with communications, thus completely isolating the local population from the outside world. The town is almost empty – everyone is sheltering in basements and cellars. Even in blackout, they realize that the Armed Forces are approaching."