The occupiers are pursuing a policy of brutal repression against the civilian population in the temporarily occupied territories in order to suppress any resistance and disobedience. Mass abductions, lists of residents "disloyal" to the occupation authorities and arbitrary detentions have become a terrible reality for Ukrainians. These facts have been recorded since 2014, and the situation has become even more acute since the full-scale invasion.
Mykyta Petrovets, a lawyer at theRegional Centre for Human Rights, a member of the Ukraine. Five in the Morning".
According to the results of the OSCE mission's research, most of the Ukrainian civilians who fell into the hands of the occupiers were detained without cause, which makes their detention illegal.
Mykyta Petrovets notes that there are many former members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and their relatives among those detained in the occupied territory. Another reason for detention may be the presence of Ukrainian symbols, books or subscriptions to Ukrainian social media channels. This can be perceived by the occupiers as a manifestation of Nazism, which often leads to criminal proceedings on charges of extremism or terrorism and further detention.
In addition, the Russian invaders check the residents of the temporarily occupied territories for "loyalty" to the Russian regime, and those who are suspected are added to a special database of "disloyal residents".
According to the human rights activist, there are 45 places of detention in Russia where civilians are held.
Usually, the process begins with temporary detention centres, and later transfer to a pre-trial detention centre. The grounds for this are often vague or simply absent. Depending on what information concerns a particular person or what they have reported, they may be released or sent to the occupied Crimea, where another detention centre is currently being actively built.
The invaders abduct Ukrainians for various reasons, but the main purpose of this practice is to subdue and intimidate the local population. First, it helps to force residents to recognise the legitimacy of the occupation authorities and their presence in these territories.
At the same time, it allows for the forced mobilisation of able-bodied men and forcing them to fight on the side of the occupiers. Abductions are also used to force people to engage in aiding and abetting activities in the interests of the occupiers through blackmail, psychological and physical violence.
In particular, civilians who have been illegally deprived of their liberty can be used to increase the exchange fund. There are documented cases when civilians were specially recognised as prisoners of war on the territory of the Russian Federation and then exchanged for Russian soldiers.
Mykyta Petrovets notes that in fact, the demand for ransom or exchange of civilians as prisoners of war is considered hostage-taking.
"Because in order to release them, the Russian Federation demands that one of their prisoners of war be released or a ransom be paid. Civilians should be released without any demands."
03.05.2024
