Russian officials in the Zaporizhia region indirectly declared the region’s independence from Ukraine by falsely identifying Ukrainian citizens entering the occupied region as temporary asylum seekers, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in an assessment published this evening.

Yevgeny Balytskyi, the head of the Moscow-appointed administration in the Zaporizhia region, signed an order recognizing Ukrainian citizens arriving in the occupied Zaporizhia region as persons seeking temporary asylum in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation.

The order provides for the registration of both citizens of Ukraine and citizens of Russia by place of residence or place of arrival in the Russian-occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region and provides for the distribution of forms of temporary certificates to all “stateless persons”.

Ukrainians and Russians can register if they provide confirmation of their application for temporary asylum.

International law defines a refugee as an outsider or stateless person who seeks “temporary asylum” in another country to escape persecution.

Therefore, the pro-Kremlin authorities falsely count all Ukrainians who enter the occupied territories of the Zaporizhzhia region as refugees fleeing persecution in Ukraine.

By classifying all Ukrainians as refugees, the Russian occupation authorities establish a new legal category that may have its limitations.

The Russian occupation authorities can use refugee status to limit Ukrainians who temporarily return to the occupied territories after being evacuated from them. The order will probably apply to citizens of Ukraine who will go to the occupied Kherson region through the checkpoint in Vasylivka, Zaporizhzhia region.

Information from the latest ISW assessment of the war in Ukraine:

• The Russian-backed authorities of the Zaporizhia region indirectly declared the independence of the occupied territories of the region, falsely identifying Ukrainian citizens entering from unoccupied Ukraine as temporary asylum seekers.

• Russian troops launched an offensive to the southwest and southeast of Izyum.

• Russian troops continued ground attacks southeast of Siversk and northeast and south of Bakhmut.

• Russian forces continued offensive attempts from the northern and western outskirts of the city of Donetsk and carried out limited ground strikes to the southwest of the city of Donetsk.

• Russian troops achieved minor successes on the Mykolaiv-Kherson line.

• The Ukrainian special services announced that from September 1 the processes of “general mobilization” will begin in the LPR.

• The formation of a new battalion of volunteers for repair and maintenance was announced in the Primorsky Krai.

• Ukrainian partisans continued to attack Russian troops in Russian-controlled Melitopol.

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