Starting in 2025, Ukrainians with chronic illnesses in Russian-occupied territories will be denied free medications unless they obtain Russian passports, according to the Eastern Human Rights Group. This policy is already enforced in Starobilsk, Luhansk Oblast, where those without Russian citizenship cannot access medical services. The situation pressures Ukrainians to accept Russian citizenship to avoid health risks. Ukraine’s National Resistance Center has condemned this as an act of genocide aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity. Reports indicate that Russia systematically pressures residents in occupied regions to accept Russian passports, often with threats of deportation, loss of property rights, imprisonment, and forced military service. The Ukraine Conflict Observatory has stated that these practices violate international law, notably the Hague Convention of 1907, which forbids coercing residents of occupied territories to pledge allegiance to their occupier.

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