Residents of Mariupol forcibly deported to occupied Crimea staged a protest, as reported by ZMINA, a Center for Human Rights, with reference to Kherson media.
Mariupol residents, who were forcibly taken to Dzhankoy by the Russian occupiers under the guise of "evacuation", were placed at school №8. The news was reported on occupier-controlled Crimean websites. People had their documents confiscated.
On 21-22 March, Mariupol residents staged a protest at the school. People chanted "Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!" as well as slogans of protest against the Russian invasion. The Ukrainian anthem was also played in the room.
Russian security forces did not react to the situation. Journalists explain this by the fear of provoking a conflict between the military and civilians, news of which could spread outside Crimea and Russia.
Earlier, the forced deportation of Mariupol residents was reported by the city authorities, as well as the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Lyudmila Denisova and the head of the Donetsk Region Military Administration Pavlo Kyrylenko.
It is not yet possible to find out exactly how many Mariupol residents were forcibly taken from the city by the Russian occupiers, but we are talking about thousands of citizens. Russia plans to send deportees to Alushta, Evpatoria and Krasnoperekopsk.
Mariupol city councils explained that Russia was convincing the residents that Ukraine had left them to fend for themselves, that Zaporizhia was no longer accepting refugees, and that it was necessary to go to Russia.