In the Luhansk region, under the shadow of Russian occupation, a new form of coercion emerges at the most vulnerable moment of life: childbirth.
Reports from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) and local authorities reveal a chilling policy: in order to be discharged from maternity clinics, mothers are now required to demonstrate that at least one parent of the newborn holds Russian citizenship.
Failure to comply could mean losing their newborns, a tactic that is sparking outrage and allegations of genocide.
Violation of International Genocide Laws
This requirement contravenes Article II(d) of the Convention on the Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, which explicitly describes genocide as including "imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group." The ISW report underscores the gravity of these actions, placing them in the stark context of genocidal intent.
Artem Lysohor, the head of the Luhansk regional military administration, detailed these developments, marking a significant escalation in the ongoing tensions in the occupied territories.
This move by the Russian authorities not only threatens the sanctity of family and personal rights but also seeks to erase an ethnic identity by severing the bonds between child and cultural heritage.
The implications of these actions extend beyond the maternity wards. Russian occupation forces are intensively pushing Russian citizenship and educational standards across the region.
On May 1, the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) announced the development of a new textbook aimed at aligning the region's historical narrative with that of the Kremlin. Moreover, schools across the region are now instruments of surveillance, tasked with monitoring and quelling dissent among the youth, ostensibly to counteract "pro-Western" sentiments and alleged collaborations with Ukrainian intelligence.
