IN MARCH, THREE PEOPLE WERE CONVICTED IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES AND AT LEAST ONE DETAINED — report
MARCH 2021
3
sentenced to various terms of imprisonment
1
detention
8
cases involving children in propaganda
40
declarations of ownerless property
During March 2021, in the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions occupied by the Russian Federation, facts of human rights violations were once again revealed: illegal detentions and imprisonment, involvement of minors in propaganda, as well as violation of the freedom of movement of civilians. The gradual aggravation of the situation on the line of contact in Donetsk and Luhansk regions leads to the intensification of mobilization measures. In the last days of the month, the information about the beginning of conscription of local residents for urgent military service in the illegal armed groups was confirmed.
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Unlawful Arrests and Detentions During March 2021, the self-proclaimed judicial authorities of the so-called LPR sentenced at least three residents of the temporarily occupied territory to various terms of imprisonment for “high treason”. The self-proclaimed court of appeals upheld the previous sentence against another citizen passed in February this year. In the occupied part of the Donetsk region, the so-called DPR Ministry of State Security detained a local resident born in 1963, whom the militants also accuse of “high treason”. Two out of three “convicts” are related to the illegal groups of the so-called LPR. On March 9, information sources controlled by the illegal armed formation, in particular, the Luhansk Information Center, as well as the Internet pages of the “LPR government agencies” reported that the so-called “LPR Supreme Court” sentenced a former local resident to 20 years in prison. He held a leading position in one of the “LPR ministries”, and from 2015 to 2019 he transmitted information about the work of his ministry to the Security Service of Ukraine. According to a notice of the LPR General Prosecutor’s Office, all his property will be confiscated, he will be stripped of his rank which had been granted to him by the armed group.
On March 15, the so-called Appeals Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Luhansk People’s Republic upheld the sentence pronounced on February 4, 2021 by the so-called Judicial division on affairs of military personnel of the Supreme Court of the Luhansk People’s Republic in respect of S.A. Drobota — a member of the LPR illegal armed formation. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison under Article 335 on “high treason”. On March 17, 2021, on the website of the so-called Supreme Court of the LPR, it was reported that the so-called Judicial Chamber for Criminal Cases of the Supreme Court of the Luhansk People’s Republic sentenced a local resident to 12 years and 1 month in prison for the illegal acquisition and possession of drugs and for “high treason”. He also allegedly collected information in the interests of the Security Service of Ukraine. It is noted that during the meeting, the “defendant” fully admitted his guilt. On March 22, 2021, a notice appeared on the website of the so-called Ministry of State Security of the LPR that Serhii Sopiga, a resident of Alchevsk, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was accused of “high treason” — collection of information on the occupied territory on the socio-political situation, information about military personnel, the movement of equipment and the locations of the so-called People’s Militia of the LPR. It is reported that this verdict has also entered into force. In the occupied districts of the Donetsk region, illegal detentions and trials of local residents, allegedly involved in cooperation with the security services of Ukraine, also took place in March. In particular, on March 24, 2021, the press service of the Ministry of State Security of the DPR announced the arrest of Tetiana Zhuravlyova, a resident of Donetsk, on charges of espionage for Ukraine. She was accused of collecting and transferring data to the SBU from servicemen of the socalled People’s Militia of the DPR, where she worked on a civilian post. Her place of detention is not reported, however, there is reason to believe that she is illegally held in the prison “Izolyatsia” in the city of Donetsk.
Former factory, and now the place of detention of DPR prisoners “Izolyatsia”, Donetsk, photo from the Telegram channel “Donetskyi traktorist”
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Review of Human Rights Violations in the Temporarily Occupied Parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions
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March 2021
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Violation of freedom of movement As before, in March 2021, there were two entry-exit checkpoints on the contact line — “Stanytsia Luhanska” in Luhansk region and “Novotroitske” in Donetsk region. For residents of the occupied territories, the restriction on the number of crossings of the demarcation line (no more than once a month in both directions) remained. It was introduced by the so-called State Border Guard Service of the LPR in the beginning of 2021. In addition, residents of the Separate Districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions (ORDLO) in social media and telegram channels complained about “outright bullying” by the members of the so-called Customs Committee of the LPR over those who cross the checkpoint from the government-controlled territory of Ukraine to the uncontrolled part. According to testimonies of people, the employees of the “customs” illegally confiscate personal belongings. At the same time, what was previously allowed to be transported according to the list approved by the “Customs Committee” was often withdrawn last month. On March 3, 2021, it was reported on the official website of the Ukrainian delegation in the Trilateral Contact Group that the representatives of the occupying power DPR are soon planning to introduce a “permissive procedure” on the departure of persons from the occupied territory to the government-controlled territory and determine the categories of people who will be prohibited to depart or enter the so-called DPR. On March 11, this information was confirmed by Nataliia Nikonorova, a representative of the so-called DPR in the Trilateral Contact Group.
Representative of the so-called DPR in the TCG Nataliia Nikonorova, Youtube photo
Even now, not all residents of the occupied territories manage to cross the EECPs without hindrance. In particular, in the end of March, a resident of Luhansk was forced to spend the night in his car at the Novotroitske EECP because he was not allowed to cross the demarcation line by members of the so-called DPR, allegedly because he was not in the list of persons who are allowed to enter the Separate Raions of the Donetsk Region (ORDO). Since the resident of Luhansk spent the night in his car in the gray zone, the militants fired at his vehicle. Unfortunately, this case is not the only one of this kind.
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Review of Human Rights Violations in the Temporarily Occupied Parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions
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March 2021
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Mobilization activities and the recruitment to the ranks of the illegal armed groups (IAG) Since March 9, 2021, residents of the occupied cities of Luhansk, Alchevsk, Perevalsk and other settlements in the occupied territory began to receive draft cards with the date of when they need to appear at the local conscription offices — March 15. The “conscripts” reported the same on social media, attaching photographs of the received draft cards to their messages.
Draft card received by a resident of Alchevsk, photo from social media
Rumors about the possible beginning of the conscription of the local population for military service in the ranks of the IAG appeared last year. Now they are being confirmed. According to the information released by the Telegram- channels “Zametki grazhdanina”, “Donbasskiy case”, “Tainy Luhanskoy Respubliki”, the start of the recruitment is planned for the spring of this year, and the distribution of the draft cards is only the first stage of the conscription. Those local residents who received draft cards and appeared in conscription offices had to pass a medical examination. Those who successfully passed the medical examination and were found fit for military service were ordered to wait for the date and place of arrival for service that were to be determined. At the end of March, several Telegram channels covering the situation in the occupied territories published the information that local conscription offices were prohibited from recruiting people aged 18-27 under contract. This was allegedly done in order to ensure the availability of a pool of men for military service. The recent changes in the “legislation” of the so-called LPR concerning responsibility for those who evade military service can be considered yet another indirect proof that the so-called LPR and DPR are preparing for the conscription of citizens to serve in the ranks of the illegal armed groups. On March 26, 2021, the co-called People’s Council of the LPR adopted the law “On Amendments to the “Code of the Luhansk People’s Republic on Ad-
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Review of Human Rights Violations in the Temporarily Occupied Parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions
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March 2021
ministrative Offenses”, which, in particular, establishes fines for citizens who do not properly fulfill their military registration obligations.
Meeting of reservists, occupied territory, 2021, photo Skhid-info
On April 1, 2021, the so-called chairman of the DPR Denis Pushilin announced the official start of enlistment for military service in the ranks of the so-called People’s Militia of the DPR. According to the decree of the “head”, it is planned that two thousand conscripts will serve in the “DPR” in 2021. A similar decree was signed on April 1 by the chairman of the socalled LPR Leonid Pasechnik.
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Use of minors in propaganda The attraction of minors to participate in “non-governmental organizations”, where anti-Ukrainian propaganda is carried out under the guise of patriotic education, is systemic in ORDLO. In addition, the occupation authorities directly use children in propaganda activities. In March 2021, various events took place in the occupied territories to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the so-called “Russian Spring”, in which minors were involved. In particular, on March 30, as part of the celebration, a delegation from the city of Bryanka (temporarily occupied territory of the Luhansk region) visited. Debaltseve (temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region). In addition to the officials of the occupation authorities, minors from the occupied territories — representatives of the youth organizations “Young Guard”, “Yunarmiya” and others, took part in the events.
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March 2021
Festive events on the occasion of the 7th anniversary of the “Russian Spring” in Debaltseve, photo “Luhansk Information Center”
The propaganda of hatred towards Ukraine was also impregnated with other cultural events that were held for children and youth of ORDLO during March. Such, for example, as the celebration of the birthday of Vladimir Dal, or the “Competition of young guides.”
Competition for young guides., Luhansk, Republican Center for Educational Projects, March 2021, photo “Luhansk Information Center”
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Violations of the labor rights of workers at industrial enterprises The decline of industrial production in the occupied territories has long been no secret. However, some enterprises in metallurgy, mining, mechanical engineering, etc. on the territory of ORDLO still continue to operate. In March 2021, as before, labor collectives of such enterprises as, for ex-
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Review of Human Rights Violations in the Temporarily Occupied Parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions
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March 2021
ample, the Alchevsk Metallurgical Plant, were subjected to violations of the right to fair wages. Despite large-scale strikes at the enterprise, the last of which took place at the end of last month, as of March 30, 2021, AMK workers have not yet been fully paid wages for December 2020. A similar situation is also recorded at several operating mines of ORDLO, which, like AMK, are nominally subordinate to the State Unitary Enterprise Vneshtorgservis created by the occupation authorities. The management of the enterprises constantly puts pressure on labor collectives, forbidding them in any way to defend their rights, and threatening them with dismissal, or even troubles with the security forces.
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Violation of private property rights In March 2021, illegal alienation of property belonging to citizens or business entities continued in the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk regions occupied by the Russian Federation. We are talking about the so-called “nationalization” of enterprises that previously operated under the jurisdiction of Ukraine or belong to citizens of Ukraine who have lived in the territory controlled by Ukraine since the beginning of the conflict; and about objects of movable and immovable property that are in private ownership. In March, the so-called DPR State Property Fund published information on the short-term lease of non-residential buildings, store buildings, parts of a trading floor, land plots and other facilities in the cities of Donetsk and Makiivka, as well as Novoazovsky district of Donetsk region. In addition, this organization announced the preparation of claims in the so-called Arbitration Court of the DPR on the recognition of the self-proclaimed DPR of ownership of the previously unowned real estate objects belonging to Donetsktourist OJSC, Ilyich Mariupol Metallurgical Plant LLC, Country LLC -Eko “, Mariupol City Consumer Society. During the month, the so-called State Committee of Taxes and Duties of the LPR posted 23 announcements about the discovery of various ownerless properties, both movable (commercial, mining and production equipment, vehicles and spare parts for vehicles) and immovable (commercial and non-residential premises). At the end of March, residents of Orloi posted a photo on social media of the announcement of the entry into force in Orloi of the order of the so-called Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR “On Amending the Temporary Procedure for Registration at the Place of Residence and Place of Stay of Citizens of the Luhansk People’s Republic”. According to this order, citizens of Ukraine registered outside the Luhansk region are considered by the self-proclaimed authorities of the “LPR” as foreign citizens.
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March 2021
Announcements of the entry into force of the new order of the socalled Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR, photos from social media
There is reason to believe that with these changes, the self-proclaimed government is beginning to create a “legislative base” for the further “nationalization” of “real estate” of “foreign citizens”, in particular, apartments and private residential buildings, thus laying the foundation for further violations of the property rights of citizens and depriving them of the opportunity to dispose of their own property.
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Continuation of issuing passports of the Russian Federation to residents of the occupied territories and their inclusion in Russian voter lists During March 2021, in the occupied territories of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, despite the quarantine, the issuance of passports of the Russian Federation to local residents continued. Passports to Ukrainian citizens, as before, were issued on the territory of the Rostov region of Russia. As of the end of February, according to the head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the Rostov Region, 639,000 passports were issued. The issuance of Russian passports did not exhaust the measures to integrate the residents of ORDLO into the political and economic space of the Russian Federation. So, along with the certification, the issue of the participation of local residents in the Russian elections, in particular, the regular elections of deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, scheduled for September 19, became relevant for the occupation authorities.
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March 2021
According to the Russian information agency Interfax, the formation of voter lists from “citizens of Russia” living in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions of Ukraine is entrusted to the Territorial Election Commission in the Rostov Region of the Russian Federation. At the same time, options are now being worked out to provide residents of ORDLO with the opportunity to vote either in the Rostov region or remotely.
A review of human rights violations in the temporarily occupied parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions is carried out with the aim of preserving democratic rights and freedoms on the territory of Ukraine.
Reviews for the past months can be found under the following link share-square The translation of this report into English was completed with contributions from: Mischa van Diepen, Julia Samokhvalova and Thomas David Howard. This Report was submitted by Charity Foundation “VOSTOK-SOS” with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The study was made possible thanks to the sincere support of the American people, provided through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The content of this Report is solely Charity Foundation “VOSTOK-SOS” and does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the US Government. Reproduction and use of any part of this Report in any format, including graphic, electronic, copying or use in any other way without the corresponding reference to the original source, shall be prohibited.
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March 2021