Russia Sets Up Filtration Camps in Vovchansk, Kharkiv Region

Russian forces have established a filtration camp in the Russian-controlled part of Vovchansk, while the town itself is being destroyed by shelling and rendered uninhabitable, the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, Oleh Syniegubov, said on air on the Ukrainian national channel.

“People have nowhere to return to. We understand that they will be living in compact living spaces or in accommodation that they find on their own for the winter and possibly the next year. Not many people remain in the territory under the occupiers, whom the enemy is using as a human shield, and according to our information, filtration camps have been created there,” Syniegubov said.

According to his data, up to 50 residents remain in the part of Vovchansk controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The evacuation of people is being carried out by the military and the police under constant shelling by Russians.

Vovchansk is currently divided into three parts: occupied, a so-called “gray zone,” and under the control of Ukrainian forces, according to Syniehubov. “And, according to our information, filtration camps have been set up there,” he stated, referring to the part of Vovchansk under Russian control.

Filtration camps, established by Russian forces on the occupied territories of Ukraine, function as processing centers for Ukrainian citizens, subjecting them to security checks, personal data collection, interrogation, oftentimes torture and detention, before potential forced deportation to Russia.

As of May 31, the Ukrainian army held approximately 70% of the town, according to Nazar Voloshyn, spokesperson for the Khortytsia group.

Earlier, it was reported by the National Resistance Center of Ukraine, that a large-scale construction of filtration camps has been launched in Russia’s Volga region under the guise of children’s summer camps.