Don’t miss a thing! Sign up to the Daily Star’s newsletter
Ukrainian civilians are being rounded up by Russian troops and sent to “work camps” thousands of miles from their homes, a Ukrainian MP has claimed.
Inna Sovsun told Times Radio yesterday that as many as 5,000 civilians had been being taken to “very distant parts of Russia” and “forced to sign papers saying that they will stay in that area for two or three years and they will work for free in those areas”.
“They’re taking Ukrainian citizens, sending them through what are called filtration camps, and then relocating them to distant parts of Russia to work for free,” she added.
“This is the logic of Nazi Germany.”
Her claims were backed up by Vadym Boychenko , the mayor of Mariupol, who said the Russians’ actions brought back memories of “the horrific events of World War Two, when the Nazis forcibly captured people”
Pavlo Kyrylenko, a local government officer in the contested Donetsk province, confirmed the reports, saying: “The occupiers are sending the residents of Mariupol to filtration camps, checking their phones and seizing their Ukrainian documents.”
While Ukrainian sources slammed the Russians for forcing thousands of innocent civilians into “slave labour,” Russian media said that just 480 people had been taken by train to the city of Yaroslavl near Moscow, after saying it was their “dream” to live in Russia.
Stay in the loop with all the latest Daily Star news by signing up for one of our free newsletters here.
Putin’s non-stop bombardment of civilian areas has forced some ten million Ukrainians from their homes, sparking a refugee crisis across Europe, and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said Putin will be "held to account" for what she called the “abduction and deportation” of Ukrainians from Mariupol.
There’s still no clear end to the conflict in sight. Ukraine has rejected Russian demands to surrender the crucial port of Mariupol, where thousands of civilians have been trapped since the first days of the war.
Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukrainian deputy prime minister, told Pravda: “There can be no talk of any surrender, laying down of arms. We have already informed the Russian side about this.”
A US general predicts that the Russian invasion could soon run out of steam.
“Russian generals are running out of time, ammunition and manpower,” says Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, “that’s why they have reached out to China for help and why they are now recruiting Syrians”.
With a critical proportion of Russia’s manpower now committed to the invasion, Putin will be looking to April 1, when the next wave of young Russians will be required to report to conscription centres for their national service.
“We should do all we can to influence that next intake," Lt Gen Hodges said.
“If we can get some of those families to join those who are already showing the courage to protest, that would send shockwaves across Russia.”
- Russia
- Russia Ukraine war
- Ukraine
Source: Read Full Article
