Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday ordered those responsible for the security services to protect the inhabitants of the regions annexed by Russia at the end of September from criminal proceedings by Ukraine.
The order was given by the president to the Investigative Commission, the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Supreme Court of Russia.
According to the directive, these bodies should seek to “rescind” the legal consequences of the decisions against the inhabitants of the Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporojia and Kherson regions, which the Ukrainian Justice is dictating.
Putin also ordered an assessment of the legality of the persecution of activists, journalists and rights defenders in Ukraine, referring to allegations of open proceedings against pro-Russian citizens.
The Russian leader also called for consideration of proposals from the Kremlin-linked Human Rights Council to establish criminal punishments for discrimination against Russians abroad.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine has so far caused the flight of more than 14 million people -6.5 million internally displaced persons and more than 7.9 million to European countries-, according to the The latest data from the UN, which classifies this refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since the Second World War (1939-1945).
Right now, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the wider international community, which has responded by sending arms to Ukraine and imposing them on Russia in political and economic sanctions.
Source: TSF
