The Russian occupation authorities are actively pursuing a policy of destroying Ukrainian national identity by settling temporarily occupied territories with immigrants from the Russian hinterland, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said.

"The aggressor country is trying to influence the change in the ethnic composition of the population of the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine. The most active events are held in Luhansk region. To this end, the government of the Russian Federation initiated a large-scale resettlement from remote regions of Russia of a significant number of people of different nationalities, mainly from low-income segments of the population," she wrote on the Telegram channel on Wednesday

According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, migrants from Russia in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine "are strongly assisted by local Russian occupation administrations, which provide immediate accommodation for the families of the arrivals, employment, provision of affordable (preferential) loans for housing, business development, etc."

At the same time, as Maliar notes, local residents, especially those who are suspected of a pro-Ukrainian position, "Russian occupiers, under various pretexts, continue to be deported to the Russian Federation."

Thus, the Deputy Defense Minister summarizes, "the enemy seeks to destroy the Ukrainian statehood and the national identity of society in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories."