Russia forcibly removed about 500 Ukrainians, they were made into thousands of labor migrants – Verkhovna Rada deputy Dmitry Lubinets
“When the Russian army seizes a site, they take out roadblocks. If a person tries to leave, they simply use it. Exceptions occur in cases where humanitarian corridors are handed over to us through international transportation, and then they let cars through. People are checked for a long time, various problems are found out, but in the end they are released. It happens that people from Zaporozhye go to Berdyansk or Mariupol, and they are picked up and returned from there.
But even when the corridors are agreed upon, people are not allowed to use their transport, they simply expand and say: “You can’t go there, go towards Russia.” People who have received a departure from Mariupol to Berdyansk are told: “You are not allowed in Zaporozhye, you are going to Melitopol,” they are told there: “Go to Kherson,” and in Kherson they are told: “Only to the Crimea and the territory of the Russian Federation.”
There is also the position of the international Red Cross. According to all RSM conventions, the organization of volunteers for the evacuation of the world population, only if agreed upon at a meeting of the assembly. What is the Red Cross doing? In violation of all the rules, they opened a representative office in the Rostov region and assisted in taking people to Russia. Ukraine has never given permission for the Mariupol-Novoazovsk-Rostov corridor, but the Red Cross is actively helping Russia. We record this data and people confirm it. We have two “Red Crosses” – international and Ukrainian, these are different organizations. And it is the international reality that plays along with Russia. I believe that they come from the political church of their country. If a humanitarian corridor had been opened, there would have been no problem with resettlement.”
In Ukraine, there is no evidence of whether anyone was able to return after being forced into heavy hauls by Russia, says Lubinets.
“The issue of the return of Ukrainians is on the agenda of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. All our European partners are ready for this girl. Citizens of Ukraine cross any borders with the Russian Federation – the Baltic States, Belarus, but everyone is blocked, they are simply not released. In Russia they are told: “Get a job, get a job, get the documents of immigrants, we will be residents for you.” They talk about some programs in Siberia. This is done so that citizens travel to distant cities, where, according to state authorities, there are not enough workers, and become labor migrants there.”