What an absolute essay. Thank you for the genuine, honest to god slice of life stories, Reuters.

Across the city, the changes are evident. Schools and cultural centers have reopened after modest renovations paid for by Rosatom, supermarkets with Russian names sell Russian produce, and locals see unfamiliar Russian faces walking otherwise empty streets.

It's almost like Russia is treating the place like it's part of Russia now, like they said they would. Rebuilding it, and restoring the regular way of life piece by piece.

Reuters interviews with more than 50 people, including current and former residents and officials, as well as dozens of pages of documents published by the occupation authorities and Rosatom

Let's see if all of those people are those that left Energodar and are residing in Ukrainian controller territory now. We can't have any bias leaked into our reporting.

Volodymyr Sukhanov... now rents a high-rise flat in the nearby regional capital of Zaporizhzhia, which remains under Ukrainian control.

Mark Komarov, a 15-year old boy from Enerhodar.. was honored by Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for refusing to compete under the Russian flag while living under occupation.

Nataliia, 69, and Yevhen, 70... said, pacing in their rented apartment in Kyiv

Denys Soldatov... a 25-year-old Ukrainian soldier... now lives in nearby Ukrainian-held Zaporizhzhia

At age 49, Volodymyr ... enlisted... sat in front line trenches in the east , where his unit came under constant attack.

Congratulations, Reuters. You interviewed 50 Ukrainian nationals and got 50 "everything Russia does is bad" takes, with extra sugar on top for more dramatic propaganda effect.

I would have never seen it coming.

reveal how Enerhodar is becoming a thoroughly Russian atomic city. It is an essential element in the broader plan to Russify Ukraine and replace a potentially disloyal population with one that identifies only with Moscow.

Again, almost like Russia is treating the place like it's part of Russia now. Why whould Russia tolerate disloyal population in this case? Does Ukraine tolerate openly pro-russian citizens?

Putin’s forces have since seized nearly all of the Zaporizhzhia region, which he claims is an integral part of Russia.

Wait, so you already know this, but... you are still puzzled... for some reason? Or is this the case of "Russia always lies, so we can't trust anything they say, even this" or something?

"Russians, they force people to love them,” said Oleg Dudar, a manager at the nuclear plant until he fled in August 2022. “That is, they say: Either I will shoot you, or break your arm, leg or do something else if you don't love me.”

Ah yes, the infamous Russian love patrols. They also bring along those mood rings from 1975 to make sure you also pass the vibe check.

The Russian takeover of the nuclear plant drew international attention as the world feared another disaster like Chornobyl.

But went clinically blind when it came to its subsequent shelling by Ukraine, or Ukraine's recent attack on Russia's own NPP. If Ukraine blows up an NPP, the radiation spread is going to have rejuvenating properties instead of spreading toxic poison.

Nowhere is Russian control more evident than in Enerhodar’s children. Across Ukraine’s occupied territories, Russia has imposed a curriculum centered on patriotism and loyalty.

So... regular Russian school curriculum then? In the territory Russia now considers its own? Truly shocking.

Another Enerhodar resident still in the city said though some were initially dissatisfied with their quality of life after Russian forces took over in 2022, civilians receive humanitarian aid and pensions. The only disturbance now, he said, was Ukrainian shelling.

Hold on, I thought it was Russia shelling their own troops at the NPP.

Reuters journalists did not visit Enerhodar or the nuclear plant and could not independently confirm the accounts of residents.

Of course they haven't. There's always this kind of disclaimer.

Asked why Russian authorities prioritize children’s education, he said the reasons are the same as when he was a student and later a young teacher in the Soviet Union. “Because it makes people easier to control.”

Giving people good education makes them easier to control. Got it. I understand why education is so difficult to obtain in the west now; it's all about preserving their god-given freedoms.

NPP Workers who openly resisted the occupation were treated harshly by Russian authorities , he said. “Many went through this, specifically station employees and workers from my department, to the point where they were released with broken ribs, limbs, cut tendons on arms and legs,” he said.

Ah yes, on the one hand Russia desperately needs NPP workers to stay and run the plant (an earlier claim in the article), while on the other it cripples them at every turn.

Around 3,000 Ukrainian workers have signed contracts with Rosatom, according to comments by Energoatom, the Ukrainian plant operator. Some who refused, mostly engineers, were visited at home by Rosatom officials, flanked by FSB officers. They threatened violence against relatives to pressure them, according to five nuclear plant workers who said they knew of such cases. Reuters could not independently confirm their accounts.

Outrageous claims require outrageous ~~proof~~ disclaimers. There's always one provided, without fail. They think it absolves them of any responsibility.

Ukraine has opened a criminal case against Shutikov, the Rosenergoatom director, accusing him of illegally establishing Russian management of the plant, forcing Ukrainian employees to work there, and planning to disconnect it from Ukraine’s energy grid. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which rotates experts into the plant, said it could not independently confirm claims of coercion.

See? There's another one.

An investigator from the Security Service of Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia described occupied Enerhodar’s law enforcement as a sort of hydra, made up of FSB, local police and soldiers from the Akhmat unit of the Russian National Guard. Enerhodar’s occupation administration told Reuters that the concentration of security forces is needed to prevent Ukrainian attacks and sabotage.

It's not like Ukraine hasn't been trying to retake the place several times now or anything, and continues to shell it periodically since the day it was taken over. But no, the "hydra" is there to enslave and oppress of course.

All in all it's a nice story. Now go interview what USA democrats think about MAGA people. The world needs to know the unbiased truth about America.