How the Kremlin is trying to make Ukrainian towns Russian, from installing puppet leaders to flying Soviet flags

Municipal workers attach a Russian national flag to a pole preparing to celebrate 77 years of the victory in WWII in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern Ukraine, Thursday, May 5, 2022.AP Photo

• Russian authorities are attempting to strip occupied Ukraine of its national culture.
• Russia has installed its flags, monuments, and politicians in several Ukrainian cities and towns.

Amid the ongoing violence of war, Russian President Vladimir Putin's apparent long game in Ukraine — a nefarious attempt to assert total and long-term control on the neighboring country — is coming into clear view.

From the introduction of Russian currency to the complete shuttering of Ukrainian broadcasting, the Kremlin is taking extreme measures to make Ukrainian towns look, feel, and operate like Russia.

Prior to the start of the war, Putin erroneously claimed that Ukraine was not an independent state, baselessly arguing that the country was a creation of the Soviet Union and part of Russia's historic territory.

Now, as Russia's invasion stretches into its third month, it seems Putin is aiming to make his claims a reality.