In the temporarily occupied territories (TOT) of the Zaporizhzhia Region, russian security forces have begun forcibly confiscating smooth-bore weapons from local hunters, allegedly "for the needs of the SVO [special military operation - as russians call war in Ukraine - ed.]". The occupation administration presents this as a "voluntary charitable transfer", but in reality the weapons are being taken away under pressure and threats of criminal cases. This is stated in the message of the National Resistance Center (NRC).
Thus, it is noted that in Melitopol, the occupiers have already announced the transfer of 14 units of hunting weapons to the russian military. Formally, participation in such an "action" is called voluntary, but the owners are directly hinted that in case of refusal, "problems" may arise with the russian National Guard and the occupation police.
According to the sources of the Central Intelligence Agency, hunters are intimidated by possible inspections, searches and the opening of criminal proceedings for "illegal storage" or other far-fetched violations. That is why most owners are forced to agree to hand over weapons to the occupiers.
The Center said that the occupation army plans to use smooth-bore weapons to combat FPV drones at the front, since due to heavy losses and a lack of specialized equipment, the russian army is increasingly switching to the use of civilian rifles.
"In fact, the occupiers have turned the TOT into a resource base for their own army - now even personal hunting weapons are being seized from the local population under the pretext of "voluntary support," the NRC emphasized.
As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the Center for Countering Disinformation previously reported how russia is turning kindergartens into a tool for war propaganda.
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