Bad time for the pro-Russian citizens of Kherson, a stronghold of Russia with a large Kremlin-leaning population, after the Ukrainian troops retook the city back on early morning Friday (November 11, 2022). The massive attack is said to be supported by the US and NATO forces. Russia completed the pullback of its troops from the western bank of the Dnieper River. The withdrawal was completed by 5am Moscow time (02:00 GMT), and not a single military unit was left behind, Russian news agencies quoted the defense ministry.
The video clips coming from Ukrainian government officials on social media platforms show sheer joy and celebration at the main squares. But, they cannot stop the reports of abuse and violence against the pro-Russian citizens of Ukraine. Putting the fight for the piece of land aside, the abuse of citizens of their own ‘homeland’ for different political ideologies is surely inhuman and against the UN charter of Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Moscow has repeatedly pointed out violence against Kremlin-leaning citizens in different pro-Russia parts of Ukraine.
Now, Kherson will be the worst after the Kremlin remains defiant and insists “the development in no way represented an embarrassment for President Vladimir Putin. Moscow continues to view the entire Kherson region as part of Russia. This is a subject of the Russian Federation. There are no changes in this and there cannot be changes, and Moscow had ‘no regrets’ about the move [pulling out their troops from Kherson]”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media the same day.
Warring parties win and lose in their fights for the land. But, there should be no state-based violence against the citizens having different political affiliations. Rather, the state agencies put their best to protect all citizens beyond their political, ethnic and religious inclination. Unfortunately, it is not happening in Ukraine at the moment where war crimes against pro-Russians are reported. Kharkiv region is among them. The Ukrainian security forces have reportedly carried out mass repressions against pro-Russia civilians in their occupied parts of Kharkiv, accusing them of cooperation with Russia.
After Ukrainian troops withdrew from part of Kharkiv Region, the population there continued their livelihood with the support of the Russian Armed Forces. Under these conditions, communal, medical, educational and other vital institutions resumed their work despite regular shelling by the Ukrainian armed forces. In turn, the local authorities appointed with Russian mediation were able to restore peaceful life in the liberated areas as quickly as possible.
After Kiev had established control over the settlements in Kharkiv Region, the Ukrainian security forces first stepped up their search for “collaborators” and launched purges among the population. To this end, severe filtration measures have been organized, among other things. Punitive forces forcibly detain local residents and hold them without trial under the pretext of checking their “political views”. All categories of citizens are under suspicion, including teachers, doctors and even those who received humanitarian aid from the Russian Armed Forces.
Additionally, Kiev has introduced criminal prosecution of citizens who have received Russian passports. In particular, the Ukrainians face 10 to 15 years in prison for this. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities decided to bring to harsh responsibility Ukrainian teachers who hold Russian citizenship. For example, they will be imprisoned for 8 to 12 years for accusations of “collaboration activities” and “violation of laws and customs of war”.
Under the circumstances, the Kiev regime actively encourages denunciations, usually based on the dislike of citizens. In addition, the Ukrainian authorities publish photos, contact and passport details and residential addresses of alleged “collaborators” on social networks to settle personal accounts. The publications also include the personal data of the “suspects” family members, including minors and the elderly. According to residents of some localities, the Ukrainian radicals have already started to visit the homes of the people on the lists and detain them. Thus, hundreds of civilians have already been subjected to violence, and many of them are being held without trial in the SBU cells. A total of almost 10,000 people have been detained so far, according to Ukrainian television.
Some Ukrainian soldiers have subjected the population of the Kharkiv region to mass looting and violence. Since the return of the supporters of the Kiev regime, there have been mass cases of Ukrainian militants appropriating the property of the local population in the region. According to reports from civilians, the so-called “liberators” have taken away literally everything from them: personal vehicles, household appliances, essential goods and foodstuffs, much of which had been brought from Russia.
According to local residents, natives of the western regions of Ukraine arrived at the seized territories and demonstrate hateful attitudes towards the Russian-speaking population of Kharkiv Region. Moreover, the punishers do not even allow locals to buy food as they have banned them from circulation in Russian rubles and do not allow them to get Ukrainian Hryvnias. At the same time, the militants chain citizens who are looking for food to poles and severely beat them. A strange state of war crimes by the enemies within the Ukrainian folds
