U.S. says Up to 1.6 million Ukrainians forcibly taken to Russia

U.S. says Up to 1.6 million Ukrainians forcibly taken to Russia
July 14, 2022, 8:45 am

Smoke and dirt rise from the city of Sievierodonetsk in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on Jun 17, 2022, as the Russian-Ukrainian war enters its 114th day. (File photo: AFP/Aris Messinis)

The US State Department on Wednesday (July 13) that as many as 1.6 million people may have already been taken from Ukraine to Russia against their will since the war in Ukraine began.

The department said "estimates from a variety of sources" indicate that between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens, including 260,000 children, were taken from their homes.

A statement said that many were taken to "isolated regions in the Far East.”

The US called on Russia to immediately end "systematic 'filtration' operations and forced deportations" in Russian-controlled areas in Ukraine.

It said that these constituted a serious violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention pertaining to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

The State Department demanded that Russia must release detainees and allow Ukrainians who have been forced to leave their country to return home.

Over 40 countries call on Russia to end Ukraine war in statement to court of justice

The UN human rights office (OHCHR) said on Tuesday (July 12) that more than 5,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, adding that the real toll was likely much higher.

OHCHR, which has dozens of human rights monitors in the country, said in its weekly update that 5,024 people had been killed and 6,520 injured.

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