New U.S. Report: Russia ‘Systematically’ Forcing Ukrainians To Adopt Its Citizenship

Washington D.C./03.08.23/Turan:  Ukrainians living in Russian-occupied territory are being forced to adopt Russian citizenship or face retaliation, including possible deportation or detention, a new U.S. report, issued by the State Department-supported Conflict Observatory program, suggests, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

Yale University researchers found that residents of the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions were being targeted by a systematic effort to strip them of Ukrainian identity. Those who refuse to do so face limited access to public services, employment, and property ownership, with implications for their mobility, health, and livelihoods.

According to the report, parents face a grimmer challenge, as children born in occupied parts of Ukraine have limited access to the benefits of formal Ukrainian citizenship.  Parents who refuse to register their children for Russian citizenship face reduced access to parental benefits.  Some parents have been threatened with losing custody of their children and possible deportation to Russia.

The State Department said on Wednesday that passportization provides a pretext to further the Kremlin’s imperial ambitions, ostensibly to defend the citizens it claims beyond its borders.

"This is a long-standing tactic, as seen in areas that Russia occupies within the internationally recognized borders of Georgia," spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily press briefing.

He went on to add, "State-sanctioned intimidation will not change the facts: every inch of Ukraine’s territory is and will remain Ukraine.  Ukrainians living under Russian occupation in Ukraine are – and will remain – Ukrainian citizens."

The U.S. nreminds Russia of its obligations under international law, and we call again on Russia’s leadership to end this illegal war, Miller added.

When asked by TURAN whether Moscow's actions could be defined as genocide, Miller said, the U.S. has been "very clear" about the atrocities Russia has committed.  "We have been very clear about how there needs to be accountability for Russia’s actions, accountability through a number of mechanisms – international mechanisms, as well as the mechanisms that Ukraine has stood up since the beginning of this war.  And we will continue to be clear about that as this conflict goes on."

Last week, the U.S. announced it would provide evidence of Russian war crimes to the ICC, breaking with longstanding policy against collaborating with prosecutors in The Hague.

Alex Raufoglu