Ukrainians who were forcibly granted Russian citizenship in the occupied territories will not be prosecuted — Ministry of Justice

Ukrainians who were forced to obtain Russian citizenship in the temporarily occupied territories will not face prosecution.

This was reported by the Ministry of Justice.

«Responsibility for acts committed under duress or out of fear for one’s life cannot be equated with the responsibility for actions or inactions of those who deliberately support the enemy», — the statement said.

Forced passportization is illegal and is not recognized by Ukraine or internationally. It violates the principles and norms of international law and the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

The Russians often create conditions where people are left with no choice, using such measures to influence their behavior. These measures, along with forced passportization, include the Russification of those holding Ukrainian passports.

• The Ministry of Justice emphasizes that Article 40 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides citizens with full legal protection in court. At the same time, it only applies if there is evidence of mental coercion in obtaining a Russian passport.

Ukrainians in Russian army

As a reminder, about seven thousand residents of the temporarily occupied territories in eastern and southern Ukraine have signed contracts with the Russian army since the beginning of the year.

This was reported by the National Resistance Centre.

The main reason for the recruitment of Ukrainians into the Russian Armed Forces is «high unemployment and the difficult financial situation of the population.» In exchange for military service, the occupation forces promise local residents land plots.

In addition, Russia’s disinformation campaign continues to aid recruitment efforts.

The National Resistance Centre stressed that all war crimes committed by the occupation regime are being documented. This is done in order to bring the perpetrators to justice after the de-occupation of the territories.

Occupiers and and museums

Earlier, Oksana Lifantiy, PhD in History and a leading researcher at the Treasury of the National Museum of History of Ukraine, told Hromadske Radio about what and how the occupiers stole from Ukrainian museums in the temporarily occupied territories.

According to her, it is difficult to identify a pattern in the thefts. Museums in cities like Melitopol, Kherson, and Mariupol were looted under different circumstances.

For example, in Kherson, both the Kherson Art Museum and the Kherson Museum of Local Lore were severely damaged. Lifantiy explained that the Art Museum was the most heavily looted.

«The trend is that both art and local history museums paid less attention to the Soviet era. That is, Lenin busts and portraits were mostly left behind. Everything older than that period, and anything not too heavy, was taken», — explained the historian.