UKRAINE: Russian Filtration Camps

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Victims of the war in Ukraine suffer trauma from the various horrid experiences they have inflicted on them by the Russian invaders. Death and pain is everywhere that Russia has touched with their indiscriminate bombing and atrocious war crimes. Unfortunately, for these people, even fleeing war-torn zones, such as Mariupol, is a slow and agonizing experience.

One main reason is that Ukrainians are forcibly being taken by Russian troops to "filtration camps" where they are made to endure hours of torture, beatings, and interrogations. Often, the living conditions are inadequate, and the quarters are cramped and overfilled with people. Those that need medical attention are neglected. Families are split, never to see each other again. 

Russia's Bezimenne filtration camp, housing refugees from Mauripol (Picture: Maxar Technologies)

WHAT IS A FILTRATION CAMP AND WHAT IS THEIR PURPOSE?

Filtration camps are locations where the Russian troops take Ukrainian people to be able to interrogate them and figure out what their alliances are and who they support.

Oftentimes, these are people who have been sheltering from bombings. The Russian troops have come to the shelters and forcibly taken them. Others are people who wish to evacuate to Ukrainian held territories. Or people who have remained in the occupied cities but want to be able to move around the city. Without a filtration slip, these trapped people don’t have any freedoms.

These camps are run by the Russian army officers, with support from FSB and GRU agents.

WHERE ARE THEY LOCATED?

Two famous filtration camps that come up often in victims’ recounts are in the towns of Bezimenne and in the village of Kozatske, in the Novoazovsk district. These are quite close to Mariupol. However, many filtration camps have been erected in various parts of Russian occupied territories in Ukraine. As well, there exists filtration camps on the Russian side of the border, where the victims are forced to endure a second interrogation after their forced deportation. 

Spokesman for the mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andriushchenko shared some videos on his Telegram channel that shows what it is like in the filtration camp based at the school in Bezimenne. 

WHAT IS THE PROCESS?

First, people are taken from shelters, or hiding places. If they are fleeing, they must pass through these filtration camps. Then, men and women are taken in separate places. After that, they are taken to an area where their documents are taken, their phones are inspected, and the picture and fingerprints are taken. Tattoos are inspected thoroughly for any symbols that could be aligned with the Azov Battalion or Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces. The invaders even inspect fresh wounds or bruises for signs that heavy weaponry has been handled recently, or if that person was involved in battle.  

Nazi tattoo from a captured soldier that surrendered in the battle at the Azovstal Plant in May 2022, near Mauripol. 

Next step is to have an interrogation. The Russian officers try to figure out if the victims are associated with the Azov Battalion, or if they have any links to the Ukrainian government or the army. Depending on the answers and links, the interrogation can take from half an hour to longer. Sometimes, it’s one hour. People then get sorted into several ‘’categories’’ that nobody knows.

During interrogations, victims can be beaten or tortured. Some are kept in the filtration camps for many weeks and not told when they are going to be let go. Most don’t even know why they are being held prisoners.

The ghetto like conditions of the filtration camp for Mauripol residents (Picture: Telegram)

If the victims are lucky, they are transported to Russia or other parts of Ukraine, or they get taken to an unknown location. Some men are kept in the occupied areas and made to do manual labour such as cleaning up debris from the bombed cities, taking the undead away, etc.

If you pass filtration and the guards are happy with your answers, you will be deported to Russia and let go. Some victims are fortunate enough to have funds to travel to other parts of Russia, or family that can take them in. Some can organise to go to another country such as Finland, Sweden or Latvia and Estonia and seek asylum there at the border. This kind of arrangement is very expensive and very dangerous. 

In Russia, Ukrainian victims are given a small stipend from the government and sometimes are provided with state housing. The children can go to school. However, it is a very miserable life. Refugees, if one can call them that, are paraded on television and state media as products of ''Russian generosity and liberation''. The reality is that Ukrainians are being controlled in where they go, who they associate with and what they do. Sometimes, they are taken to Siberia to fill sparse areas of Russia. Kids are bullied in school for being Ukrainian. Most people are desperate to leave and come to Europe. 

CONCLUSION

It's truly unbelievable that in 2022, in a European country, people are kidnapped and deported to another country to be used as cheap labour. This is a practice that is against the Geneva Convention, and another sad reason why Russia must be stopped. Ukraine's allies must do more to ensure that the Ukrainian army has more weapons, and stronger ones, that they can use to push back the Russians. 

Every temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory should be freed as soon as possible, so that further suffering and potential war crims are prevented. 

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