In September 2022, the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, together with a number of state bodies, NGOs and experts dealing with the reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories, began to develop the priority measures necessary for the effective reintegration of Crimea immediately after its liberation.
The working group was attended by 36 experts, both independent and representing the Mission, the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and the Supreme Court, Central Election Commission, Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine, ZMINA Human Rights Centre, Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group, Crimea SOS Association “Professional Government of Ukraine”, Crimean Human Rights Group, Ukrainian Institute, Centre for Defence Strategies and other state bodies and non-governmental organisations, as well as members of the Ukrainian Parliament.
The activities were concentrated in the following areas: restoration of public administration bodies and staffing; prosecution for international crimes and crimes against national security as a result of the occupation, amnesty and lustration; verification of documents and decisions of the occupation courts, property rights issues; humanitarian policy and demilitarisation of educational and cultural spheres; Russian citizenship in the territory of the de-occupied Crimea.
Based on the results of the work, experts Aliona Lunova, Olga Poiedynok, Oleksandr Kliuzhev, Daria Svyrydova, Onysiia Syniuk, Yulia Tyshchenko and the experts of the Mission have prepared an analytical report “Deoccupied Crimea: Priority Steps of the State”. The report is not yet public, but can be provided to expert organisations or individual experts upon request.
The report was sent to the Office of the President of Ukraine for review and consideration in the work of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and then sent to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, central executive authorities, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and judicial authorities, from which the Mission receives suggestions that will be used to finalise the state’s priority steps.
The relevant developments were presented to the heads of the Verkhovna Rada Сommittees and inter-parliamentary friendship groups, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people, the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, and to opinion leaders — thirty journalists and public figures who had moved from Crimea. The developments also formed the basis for proposals to update the Strategy for the Deoccupation and Reintegration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, which were submitted to the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine.
The Mission, together with the Ministry of Community, Territorial and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine, Kyiv School of Economics and the Centre for Defence Strategies, prepared a vision document “Strategy for the Restoration of Crimea after Deoccupation”.
Together with foreign expert Dmitri Teperik, a Strategy for the Cognitive Deoccupation of Crimea was developed.
Based on these materials, as well as on the Strategy for the Deoccupation and Reintegration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, approved by the Decree of the President of Ukraine of 24 March 2021 No. 117/2021, we publish these basic steps after the deoccupation of the Crimean peninsula for a general understanding of the direction of state policy on reintegration.
The basic steps do not include security issues, measures to restore the defence and law enforcement sectors. These issues are currently not public and are the responsibility of the Defence Forces.
1. Restoration of Ukrainian authorities on the peninsula
Ukraine ensures the gradual restoration of public authorities: from temporary state bodies — military and civil-military administrations, to state administrations, local self-government bodies, as well as the organisation and holding of elections in accordance with international standards. Elections can only be held after a number of reintegration measures are implemented, including ensuring that the electoral process is not unlawfully interfered with, including by the Russian Federation, that the principles of political pluralism and multiparty democracy are respected, that the electoral rights of internally displaced persons are respected, that election campaigning is free, and that official observers, including those from ODIHR/OSCE, other international organisations and foreign states, are provided with safe conditions for their work.
The shortage of personnel can be overcome by involving representatives of the local population who have not committed gross human rights violations and have not held senior positions in the occupation administrations.
Prior to deoccupation, Ukraine has taken steps to form a reserve of people to work in public authorities in the deoccupied territories and is preparing relevant educational programmes. The following tools have already been created for this purpose:
- Government has approved the implementation of an experimental project to create a reserve of employees of state bodies to work in the de-occupied territories (https://bit.ly/3qWs2m1);
- an online course for civil servants “ProKrym: State Policy for the Reintegration of Crimea” (https://bit.ly/43N1P87);
- educational programmes “Post-Conflict Governance” and “Governance in the Post-War Territories” at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (https://bit.ly/42qLMwg).
2. Documents and transactions
Ukraine documents the citizens of Ukraine who lost or did not have Ukrainian-type documents during the temporary occupation with passports and/or birth certificates and other documents.
Documents affecting the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens issued by the occupation administrations are subject to verification.
Most transactions made during the temporary occupation are recognised if the Russian Federation and its bodies and citizens were not parties to them, and no dispute between the parties to the transaction is declared within the established time limit. This also applies to rights to real estate.
In any case, transactions made as a result of illegal actions of the occupation administrations to nationalise property of the state, legal entities and citizens of Ukraine, seizure of property from the rightful owners by the so-called decisions of the occupation structures, court decisions of the occupation courts, etc. cannot be recognised.
3. Restoration of justice
Ukraine ensures the restoration of justice on the territory of the Crimean peninsula, bringing to justice those responsible for international crimes and crimes against the foundations of national security, including citizens who deliberately contributed to the occupation of the territory of Ukraine (for example, held senior positions in the occupation authorities; betrayed their oath of office: in particular, military personnel, law enforcement and judicial officers; led or assisted in the seizure of state bodies, etc.)
Citizens of Ukraine illegally deprived of their personal liberty by the occupation administration of the Russian Federation for political reasons are immediately released from places of detention and receive medical, psychological and other assistance from the state.
The expulsion of Russian Federation citizens illegally staying on the peninsula is carried out after verification of involvement in international crimes through individual decisions and taking into account international standards.
4. Liability for crimes and restrictions on holding position
The state does not intend to bring Ukrainian citizens to justice only for the mere fact of living in the temporarily occupied territory. The activities of each individual are examined individually in order to make fair decisions.
All persons guilty of international crimes and involved in facilitating the establishment of the occupation regime will be held criminally liable and cannot be granted amnesty.
Lustration checks are being introduced to assess the personal role of citizens who participated in the work of the occupation structures. Based on the results of such checks, they may be restricted from holding positions related to management decision-making or activities in certain areas. The categories of positions in the state, candidates for which must undergo such lustration checks, are determined.
5. Return of business
Crimea’s recovery will be adapted to Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction programme and will include energy independence, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in line with GESI (Gender Equality and Social Inclusion) principles, and the restructuring of the manufacturing sector of the economy to meet modern environmental and climate standards.
Reconstruction will be carried out on the principle of “build back better”.
6. Restoration of tourism
Ukraine ensures proper transport links between Crimea and all regions of Ukraine and the world, including through the restoration of the airline industry.
The vision of restoring tourism in Crimea is a year-round resort based on small and medium-sized entrepreneurs who do not just rent out beds, but restore traditional crafts and preserve the unique culture, nature and history of the peninsula.
Ukraine will facilitate the resumption of international cruise routes to/from Crimea, and attract international hotel and tourism chains to work on the peninsula.
7. Infrastructure issues
Ukraine ensures the assessment of the state of infrastructure, inventory of state and municipal property, determination of damages and determination of the further fate of buildings constructed by residents of the Russian Federation or the occupation authorities.
Military infrastructure is withdrawn and transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The Ukrainian Black Sea Fleet base in Sevastopol is being built on the basis of this infrastructure.
“The Crimean Bridge” is to be dismantled.
8. Humanitarian reintegration
Ukraine ensures the restoration of the Ukrainian media space, cultural and educational institutions, civil society institutions, and the free development of religious communities.
The components of this process include countering Russian narratives, promoting social cohesion based on Ukrainian values and ethnic diversity, protecting and observing human rights, and protecting the rights of indigenous peoples and national communities.
Ukraine is reintegrating the education sector, including providing teaching in the state and indigenous languages. A transitional period is envisaged for the widespread use of the Ukrainian language on the peninsula in accordance with the law (in official structures, service sector, media, etc.).
9. Restoration of the rights of indigenous peoples, especially the Crimean Tatar people
Ukraine promotes the support, preservation and development of the identity of the indigenous peoples of Ukraine, in particular the Crimean Tatar people, and takes measures to overcome the consequences of the genocide of the Crimean Tatar people committed by the communist totalitarian regime and the repressive policy of the aggressor state during the temporary occupation.
Ukraine facilitates the restoration of the activities of the representative bodies of the Crimean Tatar people on the territory of the Crimean peninsula.
Representatives of indigenous peoples are involved in decision-making related to the restoration of Crimea, as well as in the activities of public authorities in the deoccupied territories.
10. Cognitive deoccupation
With the aim of value transformation and reintegration of Crimean residents into the Ukrainian socio-political and cultural spaces, Ukraine is implementing a set of measures aimed at intensive social and psychological work with the beliefs, emotions and other humanitarian and social characteristics of the population that were formed before the Russian occupation and subsequently subjected to intense propaganda influence during it.
These measures are implemented using a socially inclusive and human-centered approach.