The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has apprehended a Russian collaborator in Kherson who helped Moscow to deport Ukrainians from the region. The suspect also forced Ukrainian citizens to obtain Russian passports.
Since Russia began its all-out war in Ukraine, disturbing reports reveal the mass deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including children, from the occupied territories. According to the media, children are taken to occupied Crimea, Russia, or Belarus under alleged medical treatment. Recently, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that more than 19,300 children have been deported by the Russian invaders.
After Russia's invasion of Kherson, the detained collaborator actively assisted Russians. In June 2022, the traitor joined the occupation authorities, where she received the position of an "inspector of the citizenship department." The collaborator processed documentation for the forced deportation of Ukrainians. Additionally, she was engaged in forcing residents to obtain Russian passports, the SBU has revealed.
Following the liberation of Kherson, the collaborator remained in the city but changed her place of residence, moving into another apartment in an attempt to evade justice. However, the SBU gathered ample evidence of her illicit activities and tracked her down.
Earlier, the US Department of State said the US joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children "to support the safe return of all Ukrainian children who have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred by Russia and to ensure those responsible face consequences."
Members of the coalition are committed to providing comprehensive humanitarian, medical, and psychological assistance to the affected children and their families.
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