MOSCOW, January 21. /TASS/. Ukrainian authorities continue to refuse repatriation of their citizens rescued by Russian military personnel in the Sumy Region. They also persist in detaining 12 residents of the Kursk Region who remain in Sumy, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova stated during the presentation of the International Public Tribunal for Crimes of Ukrainian Neo-Nazis, titled "Atrocities and War Crimes of the Kiev Regime," held in Krasnoarmeysk (Pokrovsk) and reported by Rossiya Segodnya news agency.
"Approximately 50 people were evacuated from the Sumy Region - literally rescued by our military - and relocated first to Belgorod, then to Oryol. In Ukraine today, 12 individuals continue to be held hostage and are not being returned home, in clear violation of the Geneva Convention. Moreover, the Kiev regime's representatives refuse to take back the residents of Sumy," Moskalkova emphasized.
She added that these Ukrainian citizens have appealed to Ukrainian authorities, requesting to be reunited with their families and friends. "But they show no interest in these people. This is truly astonishing," Moskalkova remarked.
The ombudswoman explained that Ukrainian citizens residing in Russia are accommodated in temporary centers where they receive all necessary support and are free to move as they wish. Some, possessing their own documents, have preferred to leave for destinations of their choosing. In stark contrast, the treatment of Kursk Region residents held in Sumy is entirely different.