Russia thwarted idea of humanitarian corridor for civilians in occupation - Ambassador
Photo: Vasyl Bodnar, Ambassador of Ukraine to Türkiye (Getty Images)
Last year, Russia, Türkiye, and Ukraine were working to create a humanitarian corridor for civilians in the temporarily occupied territories. In the end, Moscow thwarted this idea, according to Ukraine's Ambassador to Türkiye Vasyl Bodnar.
"Last year, there was an idea to create a "humanitarian corridor" that would allow certain categories of Ukrainian citizens detained by the occupiers to return home via Türkiye. Unfortunately, after initially agreeing to the plan, the Russian side, following instructions from their Ministry of Defense, withdrew its agreement," Bodnar says.
The Ambassador added that the Ukrainian and Turkish sides continue to work in this direction.
Russian repression of Ukrainian civilians under occupation
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been conducting aggressive actions and forcing people to renounce Ukrainian citizenship in the temporarily occupied territories. In case of refusal to give up the tricolor or other documents, Russians resort to threats or blackmail.
In early 2024, as the National Resistance Centre wrote, the occupiers intensified repression in the temporarily occupied Donetsk. At the same time, the Russians increased the number of checkpoints in the city, intensified patrols, and searched for people with Ukrainian passports.
At the end of 2023, the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported cases of abductions and night searches in the Russian occupation.
Read more about life in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories in RBC-Ukraine's article.
