ISW report shows that russia forces displaced Ukrainians to cultural assimilation

Russia is setting the conditions for coerced cultural assimilation of Ukrainians displaced to russia in order to erase their Ukrainian cultural identity. These are the findings of the analytical report of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The analysts point that Igor Barinov, the Head of russian Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs, spoke with Putin about the creation of “adaptation centers” for “migrants” living in russia on August 29.

Barinov stated that with Putin’s permission and support the Federal Agency is working on the programs in unspecified pilot regions to ensure that “migrants” to russia know and respect russian traditions, customs and laws. According to him, this is needed to prevent “social izolation” of “migrants” in russia.

Barinov claimed that there is risk of social minorities forming enclaves that will lead to growth of ethnic crimes in rf. He added that so-called “adaptation centers” would be an effective instrument to maintain stability of migrant communities.

According to ISW, russian outlet Vot Tak spread the statements made by russian migration expert Alexander Verkhovsky that such programs should structure themselves as something between refugee camps and vocational training centers for migrants.

He also mentioned that ever since the beginning of full-scale invasion of February 24 over 3.5 mil. “refugees” from Ukraine have entered russia.

The ISW report states that many displaced Ukrainians are not voluntarily in russia, and the russian government has forcefully transferred at least 1,000 children from Mariupol alone to russia. 

The forcible transfer of kids of one group to another “with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group” is a violation of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Besides that, russian occupation authorities keeps forcing Ukrainian schools to integrate into russian educational system. On August 30, Ukrainian National Resistance Center reported that russian occupation authorities in Nova Kakhovka, Kherson region promised to pay 2,000 rubles for a kid attending russian school.

As was noted in the report, russian government will, probably, face difficulties maintaining significant number of pupils in russian schools on temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine despite the financial pressure attempts and providing educational resources on occupied territories. Ukrainian National Resistance Center also mentioned that the number of families with children fleeing the temporarily occupied territories had significantly increased days before the start of new academic year.

It shall also be reminded that russian ministry of education, following the suit of russian schools, is setting the position of political instructors in schools of temporarily occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions. And meanwhile on temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk region, russian army is removing from libraries the books on Ukrainian history and literature they deem “extremist”.

Photo: Ukrinform