Russia’s Recent Strategy of Forced Removal: 40 Years Prohibited from Home in its Continued Pursuit to ‘Purify’ Ukraine | Ukraine

Earlier this year, Serhiy Serdiuk was deported from Russia along with his wife and daughter, and was given a 40-year ban from re-entering the country. Serdiuk’s home town of Komysh-Zoria, in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, was occupied by Russia during the full-scale invasion in 2022. As the headteacher of a local school, Serdiuk refused to work for the Russian authorities and was deported as a result. The deportation of Serdiuk and his family is part of a continuing “cleansing” operation of the occupied territories, which may be accelerated if a peace deal results in the freezing of the current frontlines, solidifying Russian control over the territory.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/21/banned-from-home-for-40-years-deportation-russia-latest-move-to-cleanse-occupied-ukraine