In May, 30 at the meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in Ukraine the Minister of foreign affairs in Ukraine Pavlo Klimkin paid a significant attention to the illegal temporarily occupation of Crimea. Along with highlighting the situation in the occupied territories of Donbas, it is also important to maintain a special focus on the Russian occupation of Crimea.
These actions of the Russian Federation constitute the most flagrant breach of the UN Charter since the World War II. They challenged the norms and rules of international law and created the atmosphere of fear and hatred.
The occupation resulted in accelerated militarization of Crimea. Russia has more than doubled the strength of its military there and continues the preparation of Crimean military infrastructure for deployment of nuclear weapons, including refurbishment of Soviet-era nuclear warhead storage facilities. In fact, Crimea today is a huge military base often used for Russian interventions in distant hot spots, including Syria. In return, the Syrian regime thankfully sends delegations to Crimea and as it happened today recognized so-called independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The occupation continues to be characterized by gross violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, blatant suppression of opposition and systematic persecution of Crimean Tatars and Ukrainians as the most vulnerable communities.
Along with killings and enforced disappearances, intimidation and fierce attacks on the Crimean Tatar and Ukrainian identity and culture, the phenomenon of political prisoners has become the sad reality in the Russia-occupied Crimea. My courageous compatriots fight now not only for freedom and justice, but for their lives as well.
On 14 May, Oleh Sentsov, film director thrown behind bars in Russia for opposing the illegal annexation of Crimea, wrote these words to the people of Ukraine:
“I, Oleh Sentsov, citizen of Ukraine, illegally sentenced by the Russian court and currently in the prison of the city of Labitnangi, declare an indefinite hunger strike as of 14 May 2018. The only condition for its termination is the liberation of all Ukrainian political prisoners, kept in the territory of the Russian Federation”.
He added that he is ready to die for the freedom of his compatriots illegally detained and sentenced in Russia.
Since March 19, Volodymyr Balukh, a political prisoner in the Russia-occupied Crimea, has been on an indefinite hunger strike in protest against his sentence under fabricated charges. The real cause of his persecution is the resolute pro-Ukrainian stand and a Ukrainian flag over his private residence.
Emir-Usein Kuku, Nariman Memedeminov, Server Mustafaiev, Edem Smailov, Uzeir Abdullaiev and many many other Crimean Tatars became a special target of repression by the occupying authorities in Crimea.
They now need support of all those who value freedom and human rights. Using this opportunity, I urge the Security Council members and the wider UN community to join our call on Russia to free them.
Russia keeps ignoring the order of the International Court of Justice issued one year ago that required, among other things, to refrain from maintaining or imposing limitations on the ability of the Crimean Tatar community to preserve its representative institutions, including the Mejlis as well as to ensure the availability of education in the Ukrainian language. Despite the clear wording of this Order, an entire year has passed and Russia continues to maintain its ban of the Mejlis.
Russia continues its blatant disregard for the provisions of UN General Assembly resolutions on Crimea.
Denial of access for international human rights monitoring missions to Crimea, utmost contempt for its obligations under international law as the Occupying Power, continuing practice of compelling Crimean residents to serve in the armed forces of the Russian Federation — these are examples of Russia’s response to the demands of international community. And this list of violations is practically endless.
Just two weeks ago, on 15 May, Russia opened a bridge through the Kerch Strait. We condemn this step and consider it as yet another violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty. Ukraine is grateful to those countries that already denounced this attempt to cement the illegal occupation of Crimea. We urge all other states and organizations, including the UN, to support this position.
Russia is also trying to change demography of the peninsula. Since the beginning of the occupation, a huge number of settlers were brought to Crimea by the occupying power. It created unbearable conditions for local population forcing them to leave. I want to remind the Russian delegation that this practice is a clear violation of Geneva Convention 1949.
Time and again we urge the Russian Federation to reverse the illegal occupation of Crimea and to stop its aggression, including by withdrawing its armed formations from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and fully implementing its commitments under the Minsk agreements.
Until this is done, the issue of Russian aggression should remain of high priority on this Council’s agenda.
In conclusion, I would like to once again express my gratitude for messages of solidarity with Ukraine that were expressed during this briefing.
Another point which I must highlight. We just received information that Mr. Arkadiy Babchenko, a well-known Russian journalist and severe critic of the Russian regime was killed today in Kyiv. It’s early to make any conclusions as the investigation is under way. But there is astounding similarity of methods how Russia provokes political destabilization.
It really pains me to provide you with detailed lists and stories of the Russian aggression against my country, since this issue is a matter of life and death of many of my fellow Ukrainians.
There is nothing I would have wanted more than being able to tell you that we reached a resolution of the conflict.