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Kremlin-installed ‘head’ of annexed Zaporizhzhia region says Ukrainians who spoke out against Russia were forcibly deported

Source: Meduza

Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-appointed “governor” of the annexed Zaporizhzhia region, said that Russian military personnel and occupation officials forcibly deported Ukrainians who spoke out against Russia. Balitsky said this in an interview with propagandist Nadana Friedrichson which was released on February 20, reports independent outlet The Insider.

We evicted a large number of families. It was very difficult to do so. We evicted those who, in one way or another, didn’t support the SVO, those who insulted the flag, the Russian anthem, the president of the Russian Federation. Making use of the situation we had at that time before we legally joined the Russian Federation, we evicted such people. We evicted entire families because we understood that these are people we couldn’t convince and that we would have to deal with them in an even tougher manner.

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