DEPORTATION AS A TOOL OF DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to investigate deportation as a tool of demographic transformation of the occupied territories of Ukraine in the period 2014–2023, based on reports, reports of human rights and international organizations, as well as electronic publications, to identify historical origins, implementation mechanisms and consequences for the Ukrainian population and the region as a whole. The research methodology involves the use of the principles of historicism, scientific objectivity, systematicity and comprehensiveness. General scientific and special historical methods were applied: analysis of documentary and human rights sources, comparative historical approach (comparison of the current situation with deportations of the Soviet period), the method of systems analysis (identification of the relationship between forced passportization, “filtration” and deportation), as well as the method of critical source analysis for evaluating reports of international organizations. The scientific novelty lies in the ability to identify the patterns of development and spread of modern deportations, as well as assess their impact on the occupied territories, identifying ways to prevent and minimize long-term negative consequences. Conclusions. We must state that deportation today acts as a systemic tool of demographic transformation, including passportization, “filtration”, forced Russification and resettlement of prisoners, children and women. Forced displacement or resettlement of the population has deep Soviet roots, but in modern conditions it is combined with mechanisms of informational and legal pressure (creating grounds for deprivation of Ukrainian citizenship, banning travel without Russian documents, etc.). The social fabric of the occupied regions of Ukraine is being destroyed: family and community ties are disappearing, the ethnic composition is changing, and national culture and language are being actively displaced. The norms of international law are being violated, in particular Article 49 of the IV Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the ICC, which prohibit the deportation of civilians from occupied territories. This forms the basis for qualifying the actions of the Russian Federation as war crimes or crimes against humanity. Further, it remains relevant to study the long-term consequences of deportations, in particular economic and psychological, as well as to develop mechanisms for holding perpetrators accountable and reintegration of deportees.