Russian 'filtration camps' are an attempt to physically destroy the Ukrainian people - Poland's UN representative

Polskieradio24 reports.

During his speech at the meeting of the UN Security Council, Krzysztof Szczerski sharply criticized the Russian 'filtration camps' and forced deportations of Ukrainians.

"The testimony of those who went through forced deportations and 'filtration' processes is horrifying. These practices resemble Stalin's methods and their systematic nature suggests that they could have been intentional," said the diplomat during the discussion in the Council of the network of Russian filtration camps in the occupied territories of Ukraine. In his words, 'filtering operations' "are another attempt by the Kremlin to physically eliminate the Ukrainian nation and destroy its separate identity."

Krzysztof Szczerski paid special attention to the deportation of Ukrainian children deep into Russia and added that this practice violates the Convention on Genocide and qualifies not only as a war crime, but potentially as a crime against humanity.

"Poland constantly calls for the prosecution of the guilty (...) We call on Russia to respect international law and international humanitarian law, in particular to stop the practice of illegal forced deportations and allow all civilians from Ukraine to go to the destination of their choice," Krzysztof Szczerski concluded.

Earlier, US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield reported that American intelligence has information that the Kremlin directly controls and coordinates the work of the filtration camps and has prepared a list of Ukrainians that have to be filtered. She also added that this is a key element of the Kremlin's policy of annexing conquered territories.

This Russian practice during the discussions was condemned by most of the countries who participate in the discussion.