The occupation administration in the Zaporozhye region covertly declared the region’s independence from Ukraine, falsely passing off Ukrainian citizens entering the occupied region as temporary asylum seekers.

As the Institute for the Study of War informs in a report based on the results of the past 24 hours, the local Kremlin protege, who considers himself the "

The order provides for the registration of citizens of Ukraine and Russia at the place of residence or place of arrival in the territories occupied by Russia and the issuance of forms of temporary certificates for all stateless persons. Ukrainians and Russians can register if they provide proof of temporary asylum.

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“This decree has different consequences both for international law and for the national legislation of Russia. International law states that a refugee is a person outside a country (or a stateless person) who seeks " Russian law defines a refugee as a person “who is outside the country of his citizenship or permanent residence”. None of these statuses are properly extended to the majority of people who move from non-occupied Ukraine to occupied Zaporozhye,” ISW notes..

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Thus, the Russian Federation falsely classifies all Ukrainians who enter the uncontrolled territories of the Zaporozhye region as refugees fleeing persecution in Ukraine. The order also de facto identifies Ukraine as a separate country from the subject of Zaporizhia Oblast, as defined by the Kremlin authorities.. By classifying all Ukrainians as refugees, the Russian occupation authorities are establishing a new legal category that may have its own limitations..

The occupying authorities can use refugee status to restrict Ukrainians temporarily returning to the occupied territories after evacuation from them.. It is likely that the order will apply to citizens of Ukraine traveling to the occupied Kherson region through the checkpoint in Vasylivka, Zaporizhia region, since the order requires registration of persons at the point of arrival in the occupied Zaporizhia region, and Vasylivka is a checkpoint that serves both Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.