May 19, 2022

Filtration, Evacuation, Deportation


Filtration, Evacuation, Deportation
The Mariupol Train Station prior to the war, now on the front lines. Wikimedia commons user Mykola Swarnyk

Since the Russian Armed Forces arrived in Ukraine, Ukrainians have been getting pushed out of their homes through deportation and evacuation. Some, however, are being forced to go through filtration camps. 

There are at least three known filtration camps in Ukraine: in Dokuchaevsk, Bezymyanny, and Mariupol. The purpose of these camps is to "filter" out those with pro-Ukrainian views and then send them to Russian detainment centers, after their anti-Russian sentiments have been established. These filtration camps often consist of people living in tents, and some are so overcrowded that there is no room to lie down. While in these camps Ukrainians are fingerprinted, searched, personal data is collected, men are undressed, any bodily markings are noted, and they are interrogated.

Those who have been deported and evacuated are not sent a few miles from home, but are often sent into the interior of Russia itself. The mayor of Mariupol claimed that some prisoners have even been taken to Siberia and eastern Russia.

Ukrainians who are then released from such camps must try to find their way back home. Once in Russia, there are apparently three routes that Ukrainians are using: through Crimea, Georgia, or St. Petersburg and into Estonia — the latter being the most popular route. As long as Ukrainians retain their passports and do not receive any stamps during their exfiltration process, leaving Russia should be fairly easy, but it’s impossible to say with certainty.

Not only is the stamping of passports a potential issue in filtration camps, but so is forced passportization, wherein the Russian occupiers replace Ukrainian passports with Russian ones. According to Eleonora Yemets, head of the criminal cases practice at ADER HABER law firm, this violates Ukrainian law as well as the Geneva Conventions and is a war crime.

You Might Also Like

Zelensky Returns
  • May 09, 2022

Zelensky Returns

After six weeks away, Ukrainian president Vladimir Zelensky made an appearance at Kiev's parliament.
Protesting Horror
  • April 11, 2022

Protesting Horror

Despite bans on protests, Russians have found creative ways to voice their anti-war stance.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955