Starting January 2025, car owners in the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine must obtain Russian car insurance, which requires a Russian passport, or face severe penalties, including loss of driving rights or vehicle confiscation.
Beginning in January 2025, residents in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine will be required to obtain Russian civil liability car insurance, known as OSAGO. This new policy comes with a significant catch: only those who possess a Russian passport will be eligible to apply for the insurance.
According to the Center for National Resistance, this move adds to the growing list of pressures imposed on local populations. Without this insurance, residents could face harsh penalties, including the loss of their driving privileges or the confiscation of their vehicles.
Russian authorities have already implemented several measures to standardize automotive documentation and procedures in the occupied regions. For example, car license plates are being transitioned to align with Russian standards. This includes mandatory features such as the Kremlin’s tricolor emblem in the lower right corner.
The policy is part of a broader strategy by the occupation authorities to enforce the use of Russian documentation. Ukrainian documents, ranging from car registrations to personal identification papers, are being systematically replaced with Russian equivalents. The aim appears to be an extensive program of Russification, forcing residents to comply with Kremlin directives at every level of daily life.
The Center for National Resistance has condemned these actions, emphasizing that such measures are designed to erode Ukrainian identity and place additional burdens on those who have chosen to resist the occupation’s authority.
The report also highlights related examples of coercion, such as forcing students to participate in cleanup operations for environmental disasters and requiring people with disabilities to transition their documentation to Russian formats. These measures underscore the lengths to which the occupying authorities are willing to go to tighten their control over these territories.
This latest development serves as another example of how the occupation authorities continue to impose Russian legal, cultural, and bureaucratic systems in areas under their control, further complicating life for the residents who remain there.