Lubinets: Civilians from the occupied Kharkiv region have been evacuated, and their whereabouts are unknown. The number of evacuated civilians is 25.
Dmytro Lubinets, the representative of the Verkhovna Rada on human rights, reported that Russian military personnel have evacuated 25 residents from the temporarily occupied part of Kharkiv Oblast, where fighting is ongoing; among them are children, young people, and elderly individuals. Their location and conditions are unknown. According to the ombudsman, the evacuation occurred against their will and has characteristics of forced displacement and deportation.
Russian military forces have evacuated 25 local residents from the temporarily occupied part of the Kharkiv region, where active fighting is ongoing. Among those evacuated are young and old people, as well as children. The location and conditions of their stay are unknown, according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner.
The Russian Federation refers to this as "evacuation," but, according to the ombudsman, the people were removed against their will – under pressure and without the right to choose. The removal of civilians from the occupied territory to the territory of the aggressor state has the characteristics of forced displacement and deportation. The Geneva Convention prohibits forced displacement and deportation (Article 49), taking hostages (Article 34), as well as intimidation, terror, and collective punishment (Article 33).
Regarding the removal of these people, the Russian side itself announced this in its Telegram channels. According to the ombudsman, the Russians have also created a Telegram bot, through which they are collecting data under the guise of "evacuation." Lubinets urged not to provide passport data, addresses, phone numbers, and documents – either their own or those of their children – through this bot.
The representative contacted the representative of the human rights ombudsman in the Russian Federation, requesting information about the location of all 25 people, the conditions of their stay, and complete details of those who have been deported, as well as requesting that steps be taken to return them to Ukraine. The request has also been sent to the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, and other international organizations. Anyone who has information about these people or has lost contact with relatives in the occupied Kharkiv region can contact the ombudsman's hotline at number 1678.