US accuses Russia of war crimes, says it is forcibly deporting Ukrainians

The United States has accused Moscow of committing a war crime by forcibly deporting Ukrainians to Russia. It informed that it has information that Russian officials are overseeing so-called filtration operations. "These operations aim to identify individuals Russia deems insufficiently compliant or compatible to its control," US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told the UN Security Council.

She said that following the Russian invasion, estimates suggest that authorities have "interrogated, detained, and forcibly deported" between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainians to Russia. Over 1,800 children were transferred from Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine to Russia in July alone, Thomas-Greenfield said.

"The forcible transfer or deportation of protected persons from occupied territory to the territory of the occupier...constitutes a war crime," she said. "So why are they doing this?...to prepare for an attempted annexation."

Meanwhile, Russia's UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia called the accusation "a new milestone in the disinformation campaign unleashed by Ukraine and its Western backers". He said Ukrainians who travel to Russia "go through a registration rather than filtration procedure".

Nebenzia requested that the council meet again on Thursday to discuss "real threats to international peace and security caused by the supplies by foreign states of arms and military goods to Ukraine."

Ukraine has been critical of the invasion and calls it an imperial-style war to take over a pro-Western neighbor. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said he wants to ensure Russian security and protect Russian speakers, particularly in eastern Ukraine.

Later, UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said the accusations of deportations and filtration were "extremely disturbing" and such reports must be investigated with the cooperation of the competent authorities.