The Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) has addressed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ms. Michelle Bachelet in response to the recent new measures enacted by the Russian authorities targeting the Ukrainian minority in the Russian Federation in a campaign of increasing violations of the human rights of ethnic Ukrainians.
Previously, in late June 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin enacted draconian laws that imposed criminal sanctions on Russian citizens for associating with “undesirable” organizations, including the Ukrainian World Congress, which forced the UWC to suspend membership of its constituent organizations in Russia. During the past 15 years, the Putin government has been pursuing a policy of forceful assimilation of Ukrainians, the largest ethnic minority in Russia, by systematically intimidating and persecuting ethnic Ukrainians.
As part of this plan, Russian authorities have been routinely liquidating Ukrainian organizations in various regions of Russia, depriving the Ukrainian minority of institutional or organizational frameworks and of any opportunities to study their native language or practice their culture. As part of this policy to liquidate the Ukrainian minority, Russian authorities have renewed the Tsarist and Soviet tactics of claiming that Ukrainians and Russians are “a single people”. This policy and crackdowns have led most Russian Ukrainians to simply be afraid of publicly revealing their ethnic identity, as it can pose a threat to their jobs and family safety.
“Condemning the gross violation of human rights of the Ukrainian ethnic minority in Russia and actions of Russian government aimed at its elimination by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights would be a clear message of support for the global Ukrainian community, which is at the forefront of countering Russian disinformation and aggression against Ukrainians worldwide,” reads the official letter.
