The United States (US) said on Monday, 9 May, that there were indications that Ukrainians were being forcibly moved to Russia amid Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
"I can't speak to how many camps or what they look like. But we do have indications that Ukrainians are being taken against their will into Russia," Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said when asked about reports that around 1.2 million Ukrainian citizens were being sent to Russia and put in camps.
Kirby further said that the deportation of Ukrainians to isolated and economically backward regions in Russia, as per Kyiv's statements, was another indication that Russian President Vladimir Putin simply would not accept or respect Ukraine's sovereignty, as per AFP.
'Russia Has Brutalised Ukrainians for 75 Days': Pentagon
Kirby, however, stopped short of calling the deportations "ethnic cleansing". He said that it was not the Pentagon's place to determine such things, adding that there was, however, overwhelming evidence of "Russian brutality" amid the invasion, AFP reported.
Kirby also said that Russia had brutalised Ukraine and its people for 75 days. "And every time you think they just can't fall to a new low, they prove you wrong."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said in April that thousands of Ukrainians had been forcefully moved to Russia. However, that number has since increased to more than 1.19 million, including at least 200,000 children, as per Ukraine's ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova.
(With inputs from AFP.)
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