Ever since the announcement by the Russian Federation of the “joining” of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” to its composition, almost all Russian policy in the occupied part of Donetsk region has been directed towards its ever greater integration into the Russian space – in very different ways.

In this regard, 2023 turned out to be particularly revealing due to the so-called “elections” held here. Instilling fear of Ukraine, drawing the occupied part of the region into the Russian cultural and political space, involving even children in this – the ways of the Russian Federation to absorb the territory and its population were truly multifaceted.