'We are not co-operating': Life in occupied Ukraine

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In the southern Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Monday, the mayor Ivan Federov sat down at his desk to send out his daily Facebook update.

He told his followers that the Russian forces occupying the city had now taken control of the city's communications network, so they needed to be wary of what they heard on TV and the radio.

How many people would see his warning, he didn't know. Melitopol's internet connection had also all but disappeared, making it nearly impossible to reach people inside by WhatsApp or Telegram call, or stay connected for more than a few minutes.

The ordinary phone lines were no longer an option, Federov told the, when the Telegram app finally connected. "We cannot use," he said. "Too easy for the Russians to listen in."

When the invading forces took control of Melitopol a week ago they ransacked the mayor's offices, Federov said, exiling his team to another location where they are attempting to continue running their city.

"We are not cooperating with the Russians in any way," Federov said emphatically. "They have not tried to help us, they cannot help us, and we do not want their help."

The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has claimed he is liberating historically Russian lands and speakers from a Nazi regime. But in Melitopol and a string of another mainly-Russian speaking southern and eastern cities, his forces have found themselves treated as occupiers.