Russia Evacuates 11,000 People Including 1,847 Children, Ukraine Calls Kidnapping

The Russo-Ukrainian war brought a humanitarian catastrophe. (photo; doc.antara)

JAKARTA – The Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought its own humanitarian catastrophe. Reuters reported that more than 11,500 people, including 1,847 children, were transported from Ukraine to Russia on Monday, May 2 without the Kiev authorities accompanying them. This was announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The figure includes evacuations from areas that broke away from Ukraine and received support from Russia, namely the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics. The two regions were recognized by Russia as already independent before launching its attack on February 24.

Russia said the men had been evacuated at their own request. But Ukraine says Moscow has forced to repatriate or abduct thousands of its citizens to Russia since the war began.

Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" to demilitarize and "denazify" its neighbors. Meanwhile Ukraine and the West say Russia is waging a war of unwarranted aggression.

On Monday, May 2, the first civilians evacuated from the giant steel mill in the Mariupol port arrived in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, as part of a United Nations (UN) operation and the International Committee of the Red Cross coordinated with Ukraine and Russia.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, since February 24, 2022, nearly 200,000 children and 1.1 million people have been evacuated from Ukraine to Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said.