Invaders Preparing Mass Deportation Of Population From South Of Ukraine To Russia - Crimean Reintegration Association

The Russian invaders are preparing to mass "deport" the population from the occupied South of Ukraine mainland to Russia, through the occupied Crimea and Mariupol. Such "deportation" is an international war crime of deportation and a direct violation of the IV Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute. This is stated in the statement of the Association for the Reintegration of Crimea on Sunday, July 17.

The Russian occupation administration is preparing a decree according to which, in fact, any action considered by the occupiers as a "violation" will entail "forcible expulsion from the territory of Kherson region." It is stated that the criminal "decision" on this matter will be approved by the "military commandant" with the execution of the "eviction" within 24 hours, a similar criminal decree was announced by the occupiers in Melitopol as well.

"It should be recalled that the occupiers do not allow the population of the occupied territories of Kherson region to move to the territory under the control of the Ukrainian authorities, and in relation to the south of Zaporizhzhia region, such movement is combined with huge risks and at least total extortion by the occupiers. It is unlikely that the occupiers will use as a "punishment" what in fact they don't allow those who want to.

Thus, the specified criminal "decrees" actually mean that the Russian invaders are preparing to mass "deport" the population from the occupied South of Ukraine mainland to Russia through the occupied Crimea and Mariupol. Such "deportation" is an international war crime of deportation and a direct violation of the IV Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute," the Association said in a statement.

The occupiers' preparation for this criminal deportation of the population means they understand the inevitability of the de-occupation of Kherson and Melitopol, from where the occupiers seek to have time to criminally export labor force and "cannon fodder" to Crimea and Russia, the Association emphasizes.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on July 13, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the deportation of two million Ukrainians to Russia.

In June, Iryna Vereshchuk, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, stated that during the full-scale aggression, Russia deported 1.2 million Ukrainian citizens to its territory. According to her, there are 240,000 children among the deported, of which 2,000 are orphans.

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