On Russia’s Far East: The Case of the Mariupol Exiled from the Cold War and Why Ukrainians Are Propagating in Russia
In the absence of a reliable evacuation corridor to Ukrainian-held territory, going to Russia was the only option for many people in Mariupol at that time. Ukraine describes these refugees as forcibly deported, though Natalia says no one forced her to leave.
She and others were urged by Russian authorities to take a train ride east to the very edge of Siberia, to a coastal town called Nakhodka on the Sea of Japan, which is close to North Korea. It’s closer to Alaska than to the front lines.
Russia has tried to attract people from ex-Soviet states with several experiments. State programs are being reinvented to accommodate people fleeing their homes. Those who agree to go to Russia’s far east are promised a cash payment, housing assistance, Russian citizenship and potentially even free land.
Others who spoke to CNN also expressed reluctance to return. We will stay in Russia. I don’t even want to think about Ukraine,” Valeriya, another Ukrainian who ended up in Nakhodka, told CNN by text.
Some offered mildly pro-Russian views, others declined to answer questions about the war, while some even gave scathing criticism of Ukraine. The people didn’t criticize Moscow but it was not clear how free they were to speak.
evacuees must be moved back to their homes as soon as hostilities cease, according to international law. CNN requested comment from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs on Ukraine’s allegation that its citizens have been forcibly deported to Russia, and on the situation for Ukrainians now living in Russia’s far east, but has not received a response.
“In many parts of the country, they don’t have enough citizens to make those municipalities function,” he said. There is also “a propaganda benefit, positioning these people as somehow, willingly seeking citizenship in Russia, which fits this broader narrative that Putin and the Kremlin [are pushing]… trying to rebrand the war as saving Ukrainians from purported Nazis.”
The cost of living in Primorskiy Krai, whose main city is Vladivostok, is the 11th-highest in Russia, more expensive even than Moscow and St. Petersburg regions, according to official figures. The rate of new home-building is lagging behind the national average.
Why Ukrainians in Ukraine are choosing to go to Mariupol but not to stay in the country they belong to: A UN human rights perspective on Oksana and Raymond
Russian authorities took her Ukrainian passport and swapped it with a Russian one, Natalia says. Everyone has the right to leave a country, even if they own it, according to the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
When Natalia spoke to CNN, she seemed resigned to making the relocation work for her family long term. Under the terms of her resettlement, she must live there for at least three years, or be forced to repay any state benefits her family has received.
The Ukrainian people who have signed on for the program are basically indentured servants according to Raymond. “Being in a contract, so to speak, for three years puts them in a very vulnerable position.” It’s critical to recall that their core rights under international law mean “they have a right to return, and they have a right to return safely,” regardless of any agreement, he said.
“At this point, the absence of clarity is the biggest problem” when it comes to Ukrainians in Russia, and whether they are free to return home, Raymond said.
By law, Ukraine considers those who publicly deny occupation, assist the Russian military in Ukraine, or even call for support of Russian actions, to be collaborators and liable for criminal penalties.
Oksana, who has Ukrainian and Russian citizenship, says she would like to return to Mariupol but only if it is part of Russia.
Things are quiet in Russia, while there is a mess in Ukraine. It is just unclear what it is that our government is doing,” she told CNN by phone, adding: “I am for peace all over the world.”
In a text message Marina said that they would see after three years. It depends on the job and material well-being. So far, it’s not very easy.”
Raymond thinks that people who ended up in Russia’s far east are not likely to head back to their native Ukraine in order to save money. War after war, the same pattern can be seen – those with the least money have the fewest options, he says.
“I was going to stay and die there, were it not for my daughter who said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to eat like this and die in the basement.’” With Oksana’s brother in Russia’s far east they decided to go.
Oksana says the volunteers have been helpful and that although some locals have suggested she “go back,” others have encouraged her to stay – which, for now, is what she intends to do.