/im-526627.jpg "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said late Monday that Russia had begun a new offensive in the east; missiles struck the western city of Lviv, leaving seven dead. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters")
DNIPRO, Ukraine—Russia is tightening its hold over occupied areas of southern Ukraine, installing pro-Moscow leaders, hunting for dissenters and dismantling Ukrainian state institutions.
In the city of Melitopol, like many others in the area, red, blue and white Russian flags now fly atop public buildings. Russian security forces patrol the streets and soldiers man checkpoints, inspecting people’s identification documents and looking through the contents of their mobile phones, residents say.
