ZMINA: During the occupation of the Kherson region, Russians deliberately created forced deportation conditions

This is stated in a study by the ZMINA Human Rights Centre on the deportation of residents of the Kherson region.

Since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has restricted access to information by blocking the broadcast of Ukrainian TV channels. The Russian military illegally detained activists, intimidated, tortured and killed people, and forced Ukrainians who wanted to leave the temporarily occupied territories to undergo "filtration" measures.

Russia was planning the deportation of the Ukrainian population to Russian territories in advance. This is evidenced by the scale and organisation of the events.

"Due to the restriction of access to information, the restriction of the right to freedom of speech and thought, and the threat to life and health, we can say that they created an atmosphere of fear. In such an atmosphere, the decision to leave can hardly be called voluntary," the statement reads.