[1] In 1944, the Soviet Army expelled 228,392–423,100 persons. Of which at least 191,044 were Crimean Tatars in 47,000 families. Oleg Bazhan, “The Rehabilitation of Stalin’s Victims in Ukraine, 1953–1964: A Socio-Legal Perspective,” In Kevin McDermott and Matthew Stibbe, eds., De-Stalinising Eastern Europe: The Rehabilitation of Stalin’s Victims after 1953 (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015); the higher figure is provided in Edward Allworth, Tatars of the Crimea: Their Struggle for Survival : Original Studies from North America, Unofficial and Official Documents from Czarist and Soviet Sources (New York: Columbia University, Center for the Study of Central Asia, 1988). Following the 2014 Russian occupation of Crimea. the official list of nationalized property had been amended 56 times as of 12 September 2017, then listing 4,618 “nationalized” public and private real estate assets. Similar processes have taken place in the city of Sevastopol with the purpose of “restoring social fairness and maintaining public order,” the city authorities nationalized 13 companies and 30 real estate assets between February 2015 and July 2016. (Resolutions of the Sevastopol city Government “On some aspects of the nationalization of property” No. 118-ПП, 123-ПП, 662-ПП of 28 February 2015, 28 February 2015 and 8 July 2016 respectively.) OHCHR, “Situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine),” 2017, https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/UA/Crimea2014_2017_EN.pdf. According to UNHCR statistics as of 24 September 2014, as many as 17,928 persons, including 5,068 children, 1,269 disabled and elderly had fled the Crimea. This figure consists mainly of Tartars; but there are also certain professionals such as journalists, human rights activists and intellectuals who flee fearing persecution because of their ethnicity, religious beliefs or human rights activities. It is important to note that the number of those displaced from the Crimea is still growing and people continue to leave the peninsula albeit on a limited scale. Jim Sheridan, rapporteur, “The humanitarian situation of Ukrainian refugees and displaced persons,” Report 1, Doc. 13550, Reference 4055, (Strasbourg: Council of Europe, Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons, 27 June 2014), https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/548584134.pdf. See VDB entry ‘Crimean Tatar deportations , http://www.hlrn.org/violation.php?id=o2loZg==.

The United Nations’ refugee agency says over 100,000 people have been internally displaced in Ukraine and another 170,000 people have fled to Russia.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warned on Tuesday of a massive exodus over the crisis in eastern Ukraine, saying the number of people internally displaced has risen from 2,600 to about 103,000 over the past two months.

The international body added that about 1,200 people are fleeing violence in the country every day.

An additional 168,000 people have also sought refuge in Russia, Russia’s Migration Service said.

This is while the Ukrainian government called on people in the country’s east to leave the flashpoint area as government troops close in on pro-Russia forces in the region.

Pro-Russia forces, however, have pledged to continue fighting against Kiev in the cities they hold.

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since the government in Kiev launched military operations in mid-April in a bid to crush the pro-Russia protests. Latest reports put the death toll at 1,500, both civilians and combatants.

The fighting has intensified in east Ukraine since July 17, when a Malaysian airliner, carrying 298 people, was downed in the Donetsk region. Western powers accuse pro-Russia forces of downing the civilian airliner. The pro-Russians deny any involvement and blame the Ukrainian army for the incident.

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