I really REALLY feel like people are not paying enough attention to this aspect of this war. From this statement from the US Dept of State:
Estimates from a variety of sources, including the Russian government, indicate that Russian authorities have interrogated, detained, and forcibly deported between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens, including 260,000 children, from their homes to Russia – often to isolated regions in the Far East. Moscow’s actions appear pre-meditated and draw immediate historical comparisons to Russian “filtration” operations in Chechnya and other areas. President Putin’s “filtration” operations are separating families, confiscating Ukrainian passports, and issuing Russian passports in an apparent effort to change the demographic makeup of parts of Ukraine.
Just, in re: the bolded part: WHAT THE ABSOLUTE FUCK. Between 900,000 and 1.6 MILLION PEOPLE. Where the fuck are they?? How many of them are still alive? Why isn't anyone going to go get them right this minute? (Yes, I know, it's more complicated than that, but still.) This doesn't even include the millions who've had to or chosen to flee the country for somewhere other than Russia, or have become internally displaced and lost their homes, jobs, loved ones, pets, their gardens, their space, their sense of security.
So many things in the last few years have made me want to give up on humanity, because the evidence seems to be showing that we can't be taught/will never learn from our mistakes or be able to care about anyone but ourselves (if that), but I force myself to believe in something better. We have to try. My righteous indignation and stubbornness must be good for something. 😅
260,000 CHILDREN should not be shipped off to who the fuck knows where, with who the fuck knows who, for who the fuck knows what reason.
