We are witnessing a large-scale forced deportation of Ukrainian citizens to Russia by Russian troops and the occupation administrations of the aggressor country. At the same time, there are reports of the so-called filtration points, where Ukrainians are redistributed to different cities in Russia (https://t.me/spravdi/3355). According to the Ministry of Reintegration almost 40,000 Ukrainians have been deported (https://bit.ly/3NveSDm). However, the aggressor’s officials report more than 430,000 deported people (https://bit.ly/3IQiaO6).
Such steps taken by Russia constitute a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (https://bit.ly/3IJ8fL3) and grossly violate international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions of 1977(https://bit.ly/3NspGlF). Although Russia has not ratified the Rome Statute and has withdrawn from the said Additional Protocol, customary international humanitarian law (i.e. common practice recognized as a legal norm) still defines Russia’s actions as illegal.
Leading Ukrainian human rights organizations condemn Russia’s illegal actions and call on international organizations to protect Ukrainian citizens illegally displaced to Russia, ensure compliance with international humanitarian law by Russia and return Ukrainians home to Ukraine as soon as possible (https://bit.ly/3tN63gF).
Victims of the aggressor’s illegal actions who wish to return to Ukraine are advised to provide their details to the nearest embassy of Ukraine in neighboring states or states of possible transit:
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Estonia
phone: +372 6015 835, +372 5887 4477
email: emb_ee@mfa.gov.ua, consul_ee@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Latvia
phone: +371 2923 9262, +371 6733 2956
email: emb_lv@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Belarus
phone: +375 25 603 11 84, +375 17 283 19 58; +375 17 283 19 59
email: emb_by@mfa.gov.ua, consul_by@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in Georgia
phone: +995 32 231 11 61, +995 32 231 14 54, +995 595 08 22 88
email: emb_ge@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Azerbaijan
phone: +994 50 255 75 18, +994 50 255 75 05
email: emb_az@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Kazakhstan
phone: +7 50 255 7257 7025, +7 50 255 5755 6610
email: emb_kz@mfa.gov.ua, consul_kz@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Finland
phone: +358 92 289 00 71, +358 92 289 00 72, +358 404719200
email: emb_fi@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the People’s Republic of China
phone: +86 10 6532 6783, +86 1370 1230 647
email: emb_cn@mfa.gov.ua, consul_cn@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Armenia
phone: +374 1025 6541, +374 7710 0273
email: emb_am@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Lithuania
phone: 370 5233 0782, +370 6555 0194
email: emb_lt@mfa.gov.ua, consul_lt@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Poland
phone: +48 698 608 837
email: consul_pl@mfa.gov.ua
Consulate of Ukraine in Gdansk
phone: +48 5834 606 90, +48 6076 543 33
email: gc_plg@mfa.gov.ua
Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Turkey
phone: +90 539 550 98 98, +90 312 442 15 93, +90 312 442 16 58
email: emb_tr@mfa.gov.ua, consul_tr@mfa.gov.ua
Diplomatic missions of Ukraine are instructed to provide the necessary advisory and consular assistance to illegally deported citizens for their return to Ukraine.
Ukraine also has a hotline of the National Information Bureau – 16-48 or +38 044 287 81 65. This Bureau will search for information on Ukrainian prisoners of war, dead, missing, illegally detained persons, and compile lists of captured and killed enemies.
