Russian Forces Forcibly Remove 25 Residents From Occupied Part Of Kharkiv Region Lubinets

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.

"Russian troops brazenly removed 25 local residents from the temporarily occupied part of the Kharkiv region, where active hostilities are ongoing. They include young and elderly people, as well as children. The most alarming thing is that no one knows where these people are now or the conditions in which they are being held. I am most concerned about the fate of the children. They are being taken away and their data is being collected, while their parents and relatives may not even know where they are," the statement said.

Lubinets noted that the occupiers themselves had reported the situation on Telegram channels, describing it as a so-called "rescue operation."

"Behind the appealing word 'evacuation' lies a completely different reality: people have been deprived of the ability to decide for themselves where to go and what will happen to them next. Available video footage indicates pressure and intimidation. A genuine evacuation is when people are taken to safety, know where they are going and agree to it," he said.

The ombudsman stressed that when people are removed from occupied territory and taken to the territory of the aggressor state without their consent, "evacuation" becomes forcible transfer and deportation.

"That is why calling such actions 'rescue' is cynical. Behind that word are 25 people who do not know where their homes are today, while their relatives do not know where they are," he concluded.

Read also: No breakthrough yet on evacuation of civilians from occupied Oleshky

The ombudsman also urged people to protect their personal data.

"The occupiers have already created a Telegram bot to collect people's data under the pretext of a so-called 'evacuation.' However, this data may be used against the people themselves and their relatives. I urge everyone not to submit passport details, addresses, phone numbers or documents through this bot, whether their own or those of their children," he wrote.

According to Lubinets, Russia's actions violate international humanitarian law. In particular, the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War explicitly prohibits the forcible transfer and deportation of people from occupied territory (Article 49), the taking of hostages (Article 34), and intimidation, terrorism and collective punishment (Article 33).

"I have already contacted Russia's human rights commissioner and am demanding that she disclose the whereabouts of all 25 people, provide information about the conditions in which they are being held, supply full details about the civilians who were taken away, and take measures to ensure their return to Ukraine," he said.

The commissioner added that he had also contacted the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations and other international organizations.

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