Experts believe that, starting with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the occupation of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russia is leading a systematic campaign to change the demographic composition of the occupied Ukrainian territories, writes IWPR.
This policy involves the forced deportation of Ukrainians to remote regions of Russia and the repopulation of these territories with other ethnic groups. Such actions constitute a blatant violation of international law, especially the Geneva Convention (Part IV), which protects civilians during armed conflicts.
“We can document these cases thanks to active citizens from temporarily occupied territories who provide us with this information,” explained a spokesperson for the National Resistance Center (NRC), a structure created by the Special Operations Forces of Ukraine immediately after the large-scale invasion, to support the coordination of opposition efforts against the occupation.
The spokesperson, who uses the pseudonym “Lypa” for security reasons, said that most investigations into forced demographic changes in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions are in the pre-trial phase. However, some cases have already reached court.
Two Russian citizens were sentenced in absentia to ten years in prison for the deportation of Ukrainians from the occupied area of the Zaporizhia region. Another trial is underway against Russian officials and collaborators involved in the deportation of Ukrainian children from the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions.
The main concern is that Russian citizens brought into the occupied territories are settling in the homes of Ukrainians whose fate remains unknown. Lypa stated that, although there are legal proceedings regarding the settlement of Russians in Ukrainian homes, no court decision has been made public.
“Cities on the coast of the Sea of Azov are the most affected by these relocations,” she continued. “Russian authorities promote these homes and the entire region as luxury seaside properties — even where the buildings are in ruins.”
Lypa mentioned that Mariupol has become a propaganda tool for the Kremlin, which initially claimed to be “liberating” the city, and now claims to be rebuilding it.
“The same thing is happening in cities like Berdyansk, Henichesk, Donetsk, and Luhansk. Demographic changes continue in these areas, and Ukrainians who have fled from the occupied territories face great difficulties in proving their property rights to Russian authorities.”
According to Lypa, Russian authorities often declare Ukrainian homes as “ownerless”, then confiscate them.
In other cases, Ukrainians are labeled as “enemies of the people”, saboteurs, or spies for the Ukrainian army. They may also be told that an attack is imminent and that they must evacuate immediately.
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