Russia threatens to seize property from businesses in occupied Ukraine that refuse to use ruble

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Moscow has threatened to seize all property and finances from businesses in occupied areas in Ukraine that refuse to abide by a recent ruble mandate, Kyiv’s resistance website warned Tuesday. 

Russia ordered all companies and local businesses to conduct sales using the Russian currency in an attempt to ban the Ukrainian hryvnia earlier this month, according to Ukraine’s National Resistance – a website created by Ukraine’s armed forces in March to alert citizens on updates relating to the war. 

A Ukraine flag hangs in the window of store in a shopping mall in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.
(Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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The website claimed earlier this month that Russian forces in occupied areas “raided” local businesses that refused to stop listing and selling items in the Ukrainian hryvnia. 

Russian forces have apparently been able to more successfully force larger companies to abide by the ruble order, though smaller businesses continue to resist.

Kyiv urged citizens and businesses still in occupied areas like Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson to evacuate to safely evade Russian repercussions. 

But the government website also pointed to “practical advice” it has for its citizens to nonviolently oppose Russian forces – which linked to a page that listed a series of resistance methods, including one post that detailed “198 methods of nonviolent actions.”

Relatives mourn during a farewell ceremony in Kyiv Jan. 8, 2023, for a Ukrainian soldier Oleh Yurchenko, who was killed in a battle with Russian troops in the Donetsk region.
(James McGill/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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The list is in reference to American author and political scientist Gene Sharp, who wrote “Politics of Nonviolent Actions” in 1973, and included suggestions that range from nonviolent protests to economic boycotts. 

The National Resistance page also included a post on “How to carry out domestic sabotage behind the occupier’s rear,” which detailed destructive measures Ukrainian citizens could take to oppose Russian troops in their areas. 

The list ranged from relatively trivial acts of sabotage like damaging electrical cords, tripping electrical systems by putting coins in light bulb outlets and damaging heavy machinery by loosening bolts and screws to more dangerous ideas like leaving oil containers in a corner that could be easily sparked with “just a cigarette butt thrown away by you.”

A resident pushes his bicycle past "hedgehog" tank traps and rubble, down a street in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, on Jan. 6, 2023.
(Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

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“Your imagination will help you. But as we always emphasize, before proceeding to sabotage work – first of all, take care of your safety,” the website said. 

Kyiv has said it will look to oust Russian forces and end the near 11-month war by the end of 2023.

Caitlin McFall is a Reporter at Fox News Digital covering Politics, U.S. and World news.