Guerrilla fighters loyal to Kyiv are executing pro-Moscow figures, blowing up bridges and railways, and assisting the Ukrainian military by identifying vital targets as part of a mounting threat to Russia's control over the occupied areas of southeastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin's attempts to stage referendums in several cities as a step toward annexation by Russia have been threatened by the increasing resistance, which has weakened the Kremlin's influence over those regions.
One coordinator of the guerilla forces in the southern Kherson region named Andriy, 32, said their objective is "to make life unbearable for the Russian occupiers and use any means to derail their plans."
Andriy, a member of the Zhovta Strichka, or "Yellow Ribbon," resistance group, spoke to AP News under the condition that his full name not be published to prevent the Russians from catching him.
The guerilla group got its name from one of Ukraine's two national colors, and its members use ribbons in that shade to identify prospective targets.
According to Andriy, the aid of the rebels makes the new long-range weaponry, particularly HIMARS, even more devastating. The resistance forces are providing the Ukrainian military with precise coordinates of different targets.
"We are invisible behind the Russian lines, and this is our strength," he said.
Guerrilla operations have expanded as Ukrainian forces intensify their attacks in the area and take back some territory west of the Dnieper River.
The Crucial Role of Resistance Forces
They collaborate with the Special Operations Forces of the Ukrainian military, which aids in developing their methods and tactics. These forces also decide on targets and create a website with instructions on planning ambushes, organizing resistance, and avoiding capture. A network of weapons caches and covert lairs was built in occupied territories.
Explosives have been planted close to administrative structures, at the residences of officials, and even on their trips to work.
Vladimir Saldo, the head of the Russia-backed provisional government in the Kherson region, has been the target of numerous assassination attempts by resistance fighters who have offered a 1 million hryvnia ($25,000) bounty. Pavel Slobodchikov, his assistant, was shot dead inside his car, while Dmytry Savluchenko, another officer, was assassinated with the use of a car bomb.
According to Saldo, Moscow sent anti-guerrilla battalions to Kherson in response to the strikes. In May and June, insurgents bombed two railway overpasses in Melitopol and derailed two Russian military trains.
In response, Russia increased patrols and carried out frequent sweeps for anyone thought to have insurgent connections. They search phones during these raids and detain individuals with Ukrainian emblems or images of relatives wearing uniforms.
The Conversation reported that it is challenging to accurately estimate the size of the Ukrainian resistance fighters in the occupied territories. There appears to be a place for everyone who wishes to defy invasion, in addition to the "partisan" troops that are specially prepared and trained to battle.
Holding the Line
According to Melitopol Mayor Ivan Fedorov, pro-Moscow officials are conducting security searches, issuing Russian passports, and preparing for a potential vote on Melitopol and other occupied territories joining Russia.
"We will thwart the Russian referendum. We won't allow voting under Russian gun barrels," he said, adding that no more than 10% of the population sympathizes with Moscow, and a half has fled.
In other updates, Tuesday's blasts near a Russian air base in Crimea forced about 30 people to leave their houses, according to Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the region's governor.
Kryuchkov announced on his Telegram channel that a cordon perimeter had been established around the airfield's perimeter, as per a report from CNN.
The blasts resulted in at least five persons being wounded, according to Konstantin Skorupsky, the Crimean Republic's Minister of Health.
