In Crimea, 200 thousand people may be punished for cooperation

After the de-occupation of Crimea, up to 200,000 people may be held liable for collaborating with the occupiers. Lustration may become one of the tools to help restore trust in state institutions.

This was stated by Olga Kuryshko, the representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, during a press conference "How lustration can become one of the tools to overcome the consequences of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine."

According to her, it is not about punishing everyone who had at least some contact with the occupiers, but about restoring justice and trust in state institutions. Currently, criminal prosecution is the only mechanism provided by law to respond to collaborationism, but it does not cover all cases. That is why lustration is considered as one of the alternatives.

We can talk about about 200,000 people who are potentially liable," Kuryshko noted.

The participants of the event also presented an analytical note that considers the possibility of introducing lustration mechanisms after de-occupation. The document was developed over two years with the participation of lawyers, government officials and the public. The lawyers added that the purpose of the measures is to prevent people who have compromised themselves by cooperating with the occupiers from coming to power.

On the Day of Remembrance of Children killed as a result of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine, the world was reminded of the fate of children suffering in the temporarily occupied territories. In particular, in Crimea, instead of a full-fledged education, military training is imposed on children and they are being shaped into a Russian identity.

The very idea of Ukraine's existence is completely erased from Russian school textbooks. From an early age, children are indoctrinated with the image of a tsarist state with infallible power and no alternatives. From the age of three, they are involved in programs such as the Eagles of Russia, and from the age of 12 in the state-funded military-patriotic Unarmy.

Анна Бальчінос