Loshchynivka, Odesa region in 2016 and Vilshany, Kharkiv region in 2017. […] The landfill, which does not
have any official documentation as required by Ukrainian law, allegedly pollutes ground waters and
negatively affects the health of those living in the area. […] Due to low housing prices and incomegenerating opportunities from manual recycling, there have been increasing numbers of Roma moving to
the area and increasing tensions between the local Roma and non-Roma […] in the vicinity of the police
or FSB buildings. […] list of limited exceptions. […] Entry was, inter alia, granted to travellers visiting close
family members in Crimea, provided that the latter held Russian Federation citizenship. […] No exception
was provided to Ukrainian citizens who own land in Crimea and faced the risk of its forcible sale or
nationalization due to Russian Federation restrictions on owning land plots by “foreigners” in “border
areas”. […] OHCHR documented cases of individual travellers who were unable to enter Crimea despite
having family connections and humanitarian reasons to travel".
ACAPS, Ukraine: Pattern of movement, people’s needs, and response, 27 March 2022
“The Roma community comprises between 200,000–400,000 people (CARE 01/03/2022). Many lack legal
documentation and identification, which may restrict their access to critical services and potentially
humanitarian aid (OCHA 03/03/2022; UNCHR 04/2021)”
OHCHR, Human Rights Council discusses the human rights situation in Ukraine and in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, 25 September 2018
"Germany said the deprivation of the freedoms of expression and of religion as well as the deprivation
of freedom of movement in the Crimean Peninsula was concerning. Germany also condemned recent
attacks on Roma settlements and other minorities in Ukraine as well as the lack of accountability for
the perpetrators of those attacks on minorities. United Nations Children’s Fund urged the
Government of Ukraine to embark on a comprehensive child welfare reform to include prevention,
timely identification and proactive response to the social needs of vulnerable children. These
measures were particularly needed for children affected by the ongoing conflict."
Roma human rights activist(s) and organisations
ADC Memorial, Roma activist’s story about life in occupied Kherson is published by RomaUa, 23 June 2022
“An interview with a Roma human rights activist from the Kherson region about 3 months of life under
the Russian occupation has been recently published by analytical media project RomaUa. In an
interview, David (name changed) says that they expected an escalation of the conflict from Russia
and were preparing to leave the region in case of danger: they packed their things, poured a full tank
of gasoline. After the start of the war, due to information about explosions throughout Ukraine, they
did not understand where it was safe, where to go and decided to hide in their house with their
relatives: “In the first days, many shots and explosions could be heard nearby. We spent most of the
time in the bomb shelter. In a word, it was terrible. The constant feeling of stress from planes flying
over the house… This is a terrible feeling that you are powerless in front of what is happening.” After
some time, David began to help the Roma population with the support of the local Ukrainian
authorities: “Since the volume of humanitarian assistance was quite limited, I traveled to different
parts of our city and asked the local Roma people which families were the most in need. The priority
was to provide assistance to the elderly, but I delivered assistance to everyone, incl uding the nonRoma population. Sometimes we exchanged food and goods, because there was a big shortage in the
city and many goods were simply not available. Such mutual assistance was spread among the Roma
during wartime.” David says that before the war, the Roma community consisted of roughly half of
the Crimean and Sirvitsky groups, but most of the Sirvitsky Roma left, and the city looks devastated:
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