Hundreds of Ukrainians are believed to have been tortured and killed as Russian invaders try to tighten their grip on seized territories ahead of sham votes next month, Western intelligence sources say.
Alarmed officials have received reports of extrajudicial killings in the strategically-important southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia in a brutal wave of systematic repression by Vladimir Putin's forces.
Those who oppose the occupiers, and people with previous links to the Ukrainian state or military, have been rounded up and face indefinite detention - with some transported to camps outside of Ukraine.
This widespread intimidation is being carried out to pave the way for referendums which will see the population polled on whether they favour joining Russia, a source said.
There is no doubt that the votes will be fixed in Russia's favour, and the world should not be fooled, the insider stated.
If given a free vote, there would be no interest whatsoever in being swallowed up by Russia, with the regions previously voting strongly in favour of Ukrainian independence, they continued.
It is estimated that around half the populations of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia have fled since the start of the invasion nearly six months ago, with those who remain enduring chilling repression and intimidation.
Russia is highly unlikely to relinquish the regions without military defeat, the source stated.
It is believed that the polls have been delayed until Russia is confident it has sufficient control over the affected areas with dissent brutally suppressed.
Schools are currently being forced to teach Russian history after a sweeping curriculum shakeup, while families are being bombarded with relentless propaganda after Ukrainian TV networks and internet providers were shut down.
The Ukrainian currency, the hryvnia, is being replaced by the rouble, with workers forced to take out Russian bank accounts in order to collect their pay, a source said.
Depleted Russian forces are not expected to make any major territorial gains in the coming weeks, and so have set their sights on consolidating in the strategically-important land link to Crimea.
Although Putin's forces believe that the longer the war goes on, the more likely they are to prevail, Western intelligence officials are optimistic that the opposite could be true as Ukraine becomes better armed and receives firmer support from international powers.
