UKRAINE: THE SITUATION 184 - AUGUST 22, 2022

Russian occupation officials in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast have declared the region's independence from Ukraine by falsely labeling Ukrainian citizens entering the occupied region as temporary asylum seekers.

The head of the occupation administration of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Yevheni Balizkyi, signed a decree designating Ukrainian citizens arriving in the occupied Zaporizhzhia Oblast as temporary asylum seekers under Russian law. The decree mandates the registration of Ukrainian and Russian citizens based on their residence or arrival location in the Russian-occupied parts of Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and requires the distribution of preliminary identification forms for all "stateless" individuals. Ukrainians and Russians can register if they provide proof of their temporary asylum application. This decree has various implications under both international law and Russian law. Under international law, a refugee is a person who comes from another country (or is stateless) and applies for "temporary asylum" in another country to escape persecution. Russian law defines a refugee as a person "who is outside the country of their nationality or habitual residence." Neither of these statuses apply to the majority of people coming from unoccupied Ukraine to occupied Zaporizhzhia.

Russian forces conducted localized spoiling attacks southwest and southeast of Izyum.

Russian forces continue their ground offensives southeast of Siversk, as well as northeast and south of Bakhmut.

Russian forces continue their attempts to advance from the northern and western outskirts of Donetsk, conducting limited ground attacks southwest of Donetsk.

Along the Mykolaiv – Kherson line, Russian forces made minor advancements.

Ukrainian intelligence suggests that the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR) will begin "general mobilization" on September 1.

The full Russian Offensive Update 183 is available directly from UNDERSTANDING WAR.

UNDERSTANDING WAR online