Ukraine's Foreign Ministry Calls Putin's Decree on Expulsion of Ukrainians 'Invalid'

This was announced by Foreign Ministry spokesman Georgy Tykhyi at a briefing on Friday, as reported by an Ukrinform correspondent.

“We consider this act to be invalid. This is yet another action in the context of the Russian campaign aimed at discrimination, persecution and forcible expulsion of Ukrainian citizens from their native lands or forcing them to obtain foreign status,” the diplomat noted.

He added that the Russian authorities are showing that their true goal is not to establish peace, but to further destroy Ukrainian statehood and persecute Ukrainians. In addition, the decree contradicts the Kremlin's statements about its readiness for a peaceful resolution of the conflict and directly undermines any peacekeeping initiatives, including efforts by the United States.

Read also: Kremlin increases pressure on residents of temporarily occupied territories

The representative stressed 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 practice was especially active against Ukrainians, and all the crimes of the Soviet regime throughout the 20th century reflected precisely this approach. Today, Russia deliberately continues these repressive methods and violates its international obligations,” the diplomat emphasized.

In this context, the representative reported that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called and has already appealed to international institutions and partners to strongly condemn this latest violation of international law by Russia, as well as to increase sanctions pressure, including personal sanctions against those who intend to implement Putin's decree.

As reported by Ukrinform, the demand of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for Ukrainian citizens in Russia to legalize their status or leave the country by September 10 also affects residents of the temporarily occupied territories.