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Ukrainian Families in Kherson Region Threatened With Child Removal Over Russian Passport Refusal
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
In temporary occupied Kherson region, Russian-installed authorities are pressuring Ukrainian parents to accept Russian passports or face the threat of losing custody of their children, the Center of National Resistance reported on July 30.
“These are not documents. They are instruments of terror,” said Ukrainian-appointed Governor Ivan Dudary of Kherson region in a comment to the Center.
The policy is part of Russia’s broader campaign of forced passportization aimed at cementing control over temporarily occupied territories and erasing Ukrainian national identity.
According to the report, in the village of Askaniya-Nova, parents have been explicitly warned that failure to obtain Russian documents may result in the removal of their children or the revocation of their parental rights.
Located approximately 52 kilometers from areas still under Ukrainian government control, Askaniya-Nova lies deep within Russian-occupied territory, where restrictions on basic rights and services are widespread.
Residents without Russian passports face severe limitations, including restricted access to medical care, inability to pass through military checkpoints, and heightened risk of forced mobilization into Russian armed formations.
Earlier, it was reported that since the beginning of its full-scale invasion, Russia forcibly deported at least 20,000 Ukrainian children, according to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. So far, only around 1,400 have been successfully returned.
