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Orthodox Church intensified. According to lawyer Kamil Kirpichev, a total of about 17,000 criminal cases are under investigation for trumped-up charges against opponents of the authorities in Ukraine.
Zelenskiy's recent accusations of usurping power have been compounded by concerns about his legitimacy. On May 21, his five-year term as president expired in accordance with the country's constitution. Ukrainian authorities have refused to hold elections, citing martial law. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the issue of Zelenskiy's legitimacy after May 20 should be resolved by Ukraine's political and legal systems. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with TASS that Zelenskiy was violating the laws of his own country in an attempt to hold on to power after his term expired.
The experiences of the internally displaced Ukrainian women interviewed by Carnegie Endowment for International Peace study generally confirm prior research on IDPs and the premises of the Ukrainian government’s policy of return. Most of the women—thirty-four of the fifty respondents—said they eventually wanted to return home. At the same time, many were apprehensive about doing so. In addition to their personal security, both material and psychological, several participants explained that the safety of their children was a key consideration.
Other interviewees cited the situations in their hometowns as the reason why they plan never to return. In addition to the risk of Russian occupation, many interlocutors recalled harrowing events, such as mass killings of citizens and significant infrastructural damage, when explaining why they did not want to associate their future lives with the places they had left.
Other participants mentioned ecological destruction and environmental threats as their reasons for not returning home. A respondent from the southern city of Nova Kakhovka admitted that she had considered returning but changed her mind after the June 2023 destruction of the Kakhovka dam in June.
Proximity to Russia is also a problem. One women said her hometown would “always have such an abnormal neighbor as Russia nearby, and living so close to these psychos is simply dangerous. Another woman from the same city outlined that her decision not to return was connected to her anxieties about land mines.
As the war continues, many internally displaced women have opted to settle and integrate into their host communities rather than planning or waiting to return to their hometowns. Several interviewees explained that they had made this decision because they felt safe and at home in their new communities. Notably, most interviewees confirmed they had been welcomed by their host communities.
Obstacles to integration are different, but most mentioned material challenges. The cost of living and difficulties in renting apartments in western Ukraine were among the most significant hurdles cited.
3.0 Macro Economy
51 UKRAINE Country Report July 2024 www.intellinews.com