Stories told to children who lived under the Russian occupation in Ukraine’s southern Kherson province were designed to terrify them. When the fast-approaching Ukrainian forces came into Kherson, people added, they would hurt anyone who had been in contact with the Russians. The web of lies were often spun by the children’s own pro-Russian relatives who got corrupted by Russia.
Well, there are videos of Ukrainian officials stating that they would actively look for pro-russian residents, so I’d say the warning was not far-fetched.