The United States have warned against a broad crackdown plan prepared by Russia in case of invasion of Ukraine.
"Disturbing information recently obtained indicate that violations of human rights and abuses are planned in the wake of a new invasion,"
wrote US Representative to the United Nations Office at Geneva, in a letter addressed Michelle Bachelet, the High Commissioner of the United Nations for human Rights.
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“These acts, which in the past have included targeted killings, kidnappings and disappearances, arbitrary detentions and torture, would likely target opponents of Russian policy,”
she warned,
“especially dissidents .
Russians and Belarusians in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, as well as vulnerable populations such as religious, ethnic
and sexual minorities, explained the letter, published by American media.
“We have credible information indicating that Russian forces are drawing up lists of Ukrainians to be killed or confined in camps during a military occupation.
We also have credible information that Russian forces are likely to use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests or otherwise counter peaceful exercises of resistance by civilian populations
.
A potential disaster
The letter does not specify how the United States obtained this information.
The American ambassador added that the United States was making them public in order to warn that a
“further Russian invasion of Ukraine could create a human rights catastrophe”.
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"This is an absolute hoax, it's a lie,"
said the spokesman of the Kremlin, Dmitry Peskov, to CNN
.
"Such a list does not exist, they are false information"
.
According to US sources, the target lists are part of Russian plans to replace the current Ukrainian administration by a government favorable to Russia.
The center British think tank
Royal United Services Institute
had already accused Moscow earlier this month to have started preparing a Ukrainian government may be in power instead of the current authorities.
He warned against an assassination campaign by Russian agents, to paralyze and decapitate the Ukrainian state.