Occupied Svatove, Luhansk region, partially closed to entry

Entry to occupied Svatove in the Luhansk region has been restricted for non-locals, Farvater.Skhid reported. The occupation authorities did not give any warnings or explanations, the journalists noted.

“At the checkpoints from Rubizhne towards Svatove, for four days now, they have been asking where exactly you are going and ascertaining to make sure you are not going to Svatove. They don’t say there is a ban as such, but if you say you are going there, they remind you to have a full package of documents, from LPR-type licences to a Russian passport,” an informant in the occupied part of the Luhansk region told Farvater.Skhid.

Luhansk media outlets promote the idea that such restrictions are introduced to prevent the disclosure of military information. A year ago, in November 2023, Tribun also reported on restricted entry to the city. At that time, volunteers from Russia complained about the restrictions, as they were allegedly unable to bring in “humanitarian aid” to the Russian army servicemen.

Presumably, for the same reason, some cities in the occupied part of the Luhansk region do not have mobile communications. All of them, like Svatove, are located near the combat zone.