Russia continues to systematically and on a large scale violate human rights in Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories. This includes forced Russification, the imposition of Russian citizenship, the suppression of Ukrainian identity and the unlawful transfer of children.
This is stated in the annual report by Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset on the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.
The document covers the period from April 2025 to March 2026. It was presented to the governments of European countries during a meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, around 3.5 million Ukrainians continue to live in territories temporarily occupied by Russia.
The report notes that the occupation is being reinforced through Russia’s adoption of new laws aimed at undermining Ukraine’s sovereignty and separating the occupied territories from the rest of the country.
“Russia is acting in flagrant violation of its international obligations as an occupying power,” the document stresses.
The report pays particular attention to the forced acquisition of Russian citizenship and problems with identity documents.
It also analyses the situation of Ukrainians, indigenous peoples and representatives of national minorities, the protection of cultural heritage, freedom of thought, conscience and religion, access to education in the Ukrainian language, freedom of expression and movement, and property rights.
It separately examines issues of forced mobilisation in the occupied territories, as well as the forced transfer and unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
The Council of Europe notes that Russia’s actions point to a systematic strategy aimed not only at controlling territories, but also at subjugating the Ukrainian population through structural violence and the erasure of its national identity.
The report emphasises that during the reporting period the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territories continued to deteriorate.
“The occupation has further intensified the practice of serious, systemic and large-scale human rights violations,” the document says.
The Council of Europe underlines that such actions are incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights and cause profound harm and trauma to individuals and entire communities.
At the same time, independent monitoring of the situation remains difficult. International organisations have no physical access to the temporarily occupied territories, and the Russian occupation authorities continue to refuse to co-operate.
As a result, establishing the true scale of violations, identifying those affected and making direct contact with them, including children, remains extremely challenging.
The document stresses that the Council of Europe must continue to monitor the situation in the temporarily occupied territories, assist Ukraine in creating appropriate legal and institutional mechanisms, and help ensure those responsible are held to account.
The Council of Europe also noted that any process of achieving peace must include the release of unlawfully detained civilians and prisoners of war, the return of Ukrainian children, accountability for those responsible for Russia’s crimes, and the protection of the rights of Ukrainians in the temporarily occupied territories.
The report also recalled that after Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe in 2022, it is impossible to conduct a full-fledged dialogue with the Russian authorities on the situation in the occupied territories, including access to them.
- In PACE, there is a proposal to direct Russia’s frozen assets towards compensation for Ukraine. The recommendation of the PACE committee is to be considered by the full Assembly on 30 September.