“Part of Russia’s genocide policy”: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry condemned Putin’s decree ordering Ukrainians to leave occupied territories and Russia
Ukraine considers Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin’s latest decree ordering Ukrainian citizens who “do not have legal grounds to stay in Russia” and in the temporarily occupied territories to leave as a “null and void act.”
Heorhii Tykhyy“This is a null and void act,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyy stated at a briefing in Kyiv on March 21, as quoted by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“On 20 March, we saw another Russian decree that envisages the forced expulsion of Ukrainian citizens who are in the temporarily occupied territories and the territory of the Russian Federation without so-called legal grounds. We believe that this is a null and void act; it is the next step in Russia’s campaign of discrimination, persecution and forced displacement of Ukrainian citizens from their native land, or forcing them to obtain foreigner status,” Tykhyy said.
Tykhyy emphasized that this decree continues Russia’s systematic violation of fundamental international legal norms, breaching at least three international legal documents.
He clarified that Putin’s decree violates the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, in particular Article 49, which prohibits the forced transfer or deportation of protected persons from occupied territories, and Article 47, which classifies the forcible transfer of civilians as a war crime.
“We emphasise that these systematic deportations and persecutions are part of Russia’s policy of genocide against the Ukrainian people,” the Foreign Ministry said.
“Russia is turning Ukrainians into guests in their own homes,” stated Aliona Lunova, Advocacy Director at the ZMINA Human Rights Centre, in an interview for Donbass. Realii, a project of Radio Liberty.
According to human rights advocates, Russia is intensifying pressure: people are being detained and sent to temporary detention centres, as has already happened to dozens of Ukrainians previously.
By way of background, on March 20, 2025, Vladimir Putin signed the decree requiring “Ukrainian citizens illegally staying in Russia” and temporarily occupied territories to either leave by September 10 or legalize their status.
According to the decree, Ukrainians who undergo fingerprinting and photographing can avoid administrative penalties for violating residency rules if they report to police to legalize their stay.
On March 14, 2025, Putin signed a decree restricting the ability of “citizens of unfriendly states” to register property in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions until January 1, 2028, unless they have a “special permit.”
