MFA Ukraine says Putin’s decree on explulsion of Ukrainians “null and void”
This was stated by the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Heorhiy Tykhyi, who spoke at a briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
"We believe this act is null and void. It is another step in the Russian campaign to discriminate, persecute and forcibly expel Ukrainian citizens from their homeland, or force them to acquire the status of a foreigner," the diplomat noted.
He added that the Russian authorities are demonstrating that their real goal is not peace, but further destruction of Ukrainian statehood and persecution of Ukrainian citizens. In addition, the decree contradicts the Kremlin's statements of their readiness for a peaceful settlement and directly undermines any initiatives to establish peace, including the efforts being made by the United States.
The spokesman emphasized that "these systematic deportations and persecutions are part of Russia's genocidal policy against the Ukrainian people."
"We know that the Kremlin has historically used mass deportations as a means of destroying the national identity of various peoples, including Ukrainians. This policy was applied particularly intensively with respect to Ukrainians, and all the crimes of the Soviet regime throughout the 20th century reflected precisely this approach. Today, Russia is deliberately continuing these repressive practices and violating their international obligations," the diplomat emphasized.
In this context, the spokesman reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on and already appealed to international institutions and international partners to strongly condemn this latest violation of international law by Russia, to increase sanctions pressure, including personal sanctions against those responsible who intend to engage in what is specified in Putin’s decree.
As Ukrinform reported earlier, the requirement of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for Ukrainian citizens who are staying in Russia to legalize their status or leave country by September 10 also applies to residents of temporarily occupied territories.
