U.S. Calls On Russia To Halt Forced Deportations of Ukrainians, Citing War Crimes

Washington on Wednesday called on Putin's Russia to immediately halt systematic filtration operations and forced deportations in Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine, citing the possibility of war crimes, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

"The unlawful transfer and deportation of protected persons is a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention on the protection of civilians and is a war crime," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

According to reports, the Russians were putting Ukrainian children up for adoption and "disappearing" thousands of others. "Eyewitnesses and survivors of “filtration” operations, detentions, and forced deportations report frequent threats, harassment, and incidents of torture by Russian security forces" Blinken noted. 

During this process, he added, Russian authorities also reportedly capture and store biometric and personal data, subject civilians to invasive searches and interrogations and coerce Ukrainian citizens into signing agreements to stay in Russia, hindering their ability to freely return home.

"Estimates from a variety of sources, including the Russian government, indicate that Russian authorities have interrogated, detained and forcibly deported between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens, including 260,000 children, from their homes to Russia — often to isolated regions in the Far East,"  Blinken emphasized.

"President Putin and his government will not be able to engage in these systematic abuses with impunity. Accountability is imperative" he added.  "This is why we are supporting Ukrainian and international authorities’ efforts to collect, document, and preserve evidence of atrocities.  Together, we are dedicated to holding perpetrators of war crimes and other atrocities accountable."

Kyiv had also accused the Kremlin of deporting civilians from Ukraine.

The 1949 Geneva Conventions, which define international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in conflict, prohibit mass forcible transfers of civilians during a conflict to the territory of the occupying power, classifying it as a war crime.

Blinken's statement came as his top human rights officer Uzra Zeya headed to The Hague yesterday as she is leading the U.S. delegation at the Ukraine Accountability Conference, which is co-hosted by Dutch Foreign minister Wopke Hoekstra, EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, and ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan.

"This ministerial brings together over 40 countries to advance coordination of ongoing work to promote accountability for the human rights abuses, war crimes, and other atrocities committed by Russian forces in Ukraine," State Department said.

While at the ministerial, Zeya will also have meetings with senior international counterparts to discuss support for refugees and other displaced persons, accountability for human rights abuses, and other pressing needs that have resulted from Russia’s ongoing, brutal aggression against Ukraine.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.