In 2020 the Mission’s team activity covered two permanently acting offices in the cities of Kyiv and Kherson. Such activity included different directions from daily on-line consultations, provided to the citizens of Ukraine, residing in the temporarily occupied territories to participation at international events on de-occupation.
🌍 Reintegration and maintaining communication
The team of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea in cooperation with the non-governmental organizations developed and launched a chat-bot @CrimeaIsUaBot in Telegram with the answers to the most frequently asked questions by Crimeans.
The Department on Communication with Citizens has changed the approaches in its work. The consultations via on-line messengers were launched. During 2020 more than 5830 claims including 4332 via hot-line were processed by the Department. Changes in the working methods significantly simplified the access of the residents of the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula to consultations, provided via mail, telephones. Such services became much closer to people now.
The Mission has improved communication in social network. Thus, more than 800 thousand of Facebook users were at contact with the Mission and more than 1538 questions were answered via its Messenger.
The Mission became a co-organizer and active participant of the Age of Crimea 2020 Forum, which was held for the first time with the participation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky. The Forum brought together over 500 higher officials and diplomats, representatives of Mejlis of Crimean Tatar People, non-governmental and international organizations. Media audience of the Forum consisted of more than 14 million persons.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the Mission with the support of the Office of the President of Ukraine initiated the amendments to the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine related to the closure of the checkpoints at the administrative boundary line with Crimea (crossing of the prospective students without accompanying persons and a need to be imposed to self – isolation; possibility for everybody to cross the administrative line before the two weeks isolation period is over by submitting negative PCR test).
The Mission in cooperation with the Ministry on reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories and non-governmental human rights organizations developed the Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine N 1161 dated 25.11.2020 on the changes to the Order of entrance/exit to/from the temporarily occupied territory, adopted by the CMU Order N 367 On the list of humanitarian basis for crossing the check points in case of their temporal cessation.
In the context of the epidemiological situation and spread of COVID-19, the Mission took part in derestriction of the checkpoints work on the administrative line with the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic f Crimea. In addition, the establishment of Wi-Fi connection at the entry/exit checkpoints with the temporarily occupied AR of Crimea was promoted in cooperation with the Kherson State Regional Administration.
The Mission as well as developed a list of services, necessary for Crimeans, which would be introduced within the hub “Socar Energy” at the checkpoint “Chongar’.
In 2020, for the first time in six years of occupation, the two-days retreat of the Committee on Human Rights, Deoccupation and Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories in Donetsk, Luhansk Regions and Autonomous Republic of Crimea, National Minorities and Interethnic Relations was held on 11-12 February 2020 at the administrative boundary line with the temporarily occupied AR of Crimea (the checkpoint “Chongar”). The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, despite the participation in the meeting, was involved into the arrangement of retreat, including development a program of a visit, draft recommendations.
On 29th anniversary of Independence of Ukraine the Mission was actively engaged promoting the issue of State Awards of Ukraine for Crimeans (Metropolitan Klyment, Nariman Dzhelyalov, Server Mustafayev, Alim Aliev, Anife Kurtceitova).
A meeting of Metropolitan Klyment of Simferopol and Crimea of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphany of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine with representatives of the foreign embassies and special state bodies of Ukraine was organized to highlight the situation with the Crimean eparchy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine ( Kyiv, St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery, 26 August 2020)
The Mission supports the project activity of the civic organization “Crimean family”, the only educational and cultural center which provides sections for school age children in Kyiv and Kyiv oblast.
🔗 International events on de-occupation
The International direction is an important component of the Mission’s activity. Last year, the International Strategy of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea for 2020-2023” (https://cutt.ly/Tj4OHr8) was developed and adopted.
During 2020 the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea Anton Korynevych made business trips to the USA, Germany, Georgia.
The Deputy Permanent Representative Tamila Tasheva made a statement at hearings of Helsinki Committee of the US Congress, devoted to Crimea and took part in the events, organized within the hearings (Washington D.C., the USA, from January, 27 to February, 01) as well as she visited Switzerland and Estonia.
During the quarantine restrictions, the Permanent Representative was involved into various international online events on Crimean issues. For instance, the Permanent Representative as a member of delegation of Ukraine took part at 75th session of UN GA.
During 2020, working communication between the Mission and Embassies of the USA, Canada, Germany, Turkey, Netherlands, Estonia, Japan, South African Republic, Finland, Australia, Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Moldova, Georgia, great Britain, Slovenia, Montenegro, Spain, Austria, Slovak Republic, Romania, Sweden, Azerbaijan, Belgium, including offices of EU, NATO, UN MM of Human Rights in Ukraine, UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine was established.
The Mission’s team took part in elaboration of draft resolution of UN GA 74/168 “Situation with Human Rights in the AR of Crimea and Sevastopol, Ukraine” dated 18 December 2019, including the development the relevant UN GA resolution of 2020.
The Permanent Representative for the first time participated in the Aria-Formula meeting of the UN Security Council on the Human Rights situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea (March, 6 2020, New -York, the USA).
As a member of delegation of Ukraine, the Permanent Representative highlighted the legal consequences of the temporarily occupation of the AR of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol at the consultations Ukraine – EU.
The initiative of visits to the checkpoints by the Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada, Great Britain, Lithuania was successfully implemented by the Mission.
🌍 Protection and support of the persons, illegally imprisoned on political reasons
The Mission initiated and held the event with the participance of Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and all Ukraine for the families of the Kremlin political prisoners and missing persons (February, 29 2020).
The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is an active member of Interagency Commission on issues related to the recognition of the persons as those who were deprived of liberty due to the RF armed aggression against Ukraine and the measures for their social protection. The Deputy Permanent Representative Tamila Tasheva takes part in this Interagency Commission.
📚 Legislative work
In 2020 the Mission has launched the development of the Strategy on de-occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. And now the work on this track continuous under the coordination of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.
The Team of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea prepared and submitted to the Office of the President of Ukraine a draft Decree of the President of Ukraine “On the Resistance Day to Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and city of Sevastopol”. On 26 February the Decree № 58/2020 was solemnly signed after the “Age of Crimea 2020” Forum by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Mission drafted the text and order on Statement of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to the parliaments of foreign countries and parliamentary assemblies of international organizations on condemnation of the continuous armed aggression of the RF against Ukraine, illegal attempted annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and occupation of some districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, political repressions against the citizens of Ukraine and liberation of political prisoners – citizens of Ukraine. The draft order was approved by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by 309 voices on 30 April 2020.
The activity of the Working Group on reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories of the Legal Reforming Commission under the President of Ukraine is headed by the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine Anton Korynevych and administrated by its team.
The Working Group prepared and submitted to the Office of the President of Ukraine the draft State Policy Concept on human rights protection under overcoming of the consequences of the armed conflict in Ukraine.
Initiation of the Decree of the President of Ukraine 573/2020 dated 17 December 2020 “On amendments to the Regulation on State Scholarships, named after Levko Lukyanenko”, adopted by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated7 December 2018 № 417 “About the State Scholarships after levko Lukyanenko”. Such initiative made it possible for the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the AR of Crimea together with the other state authorities, non-governmental organizations, which provide their activity to support and protect the rights and legal interests of the citizens of Ukraine to apply for scholarships after L. Lukyanenko via the Ministry on Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.
📌 Analytical work
Consistent activity on involvement of analytical centers and some experts into cooperation with the Mission is provided in some strategic directions, including human rights issues and protection of state sovereignty of Ukraine (Memorandum on cooperation is signed by three analytical centers).
The Mission in cooperation with the Ministry on Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine and Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on human rights and de-occupation presented a guide “Relevant public policy guidelines on temporarily occupation of Autonomous Republic of Crimea”. The document is intended for use by the state bodies and forms common approaches for better understanding the situation in the temporarily occupied AR of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. The guide as well contains common positions of the state bodies of Ukraine on key issues and terminology.
Q&A manual “Crimean in the context of occupation” for mass media was compiled and presented in cooperation with human rights organizations.
Analytical input, prepared by the Mission on access to water resources in the occupied Crimea, violations in the sphere of cultural heritage and environmental damages are in use by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ministry of Reintegration of the TOT of Ukraine and others authorities. In addition, the above-mentioned materials, including collected and identified by the Mission lists of persons, involved into human rights violations and crimes of war were included in criminal proceedings by the law enforcement agencies for further consideration of imposition sanctions against them.
🏦 Development of cooperation with the other authorities for de-occupation
The Mission is an active member of Interagency Working Group on issues of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, including temporarily occupied territories and IDPs; Governmental Committee on reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories and social policy; Commission on issues of missing persons under special circumstances; Interagency commission on implementation of the rules of humanitarian law in Ukraine; collegium of Kherson Regional State Administration.
The Mission arranged the evens, held to commemorate the Day of Remembrance for victims of the Crimean Tatar People genocide on 18 May 1944. Such events included the meeting of the President of Ukraine with the Crimean Tatar People’s Deputies and activists, video lesson on the Crimean Tatar deportation within the “All Ukrainian School Online”, video statement of the President of Ukraine, Crimean Tatar flags, raised over the Embassies of Ukraine abroad and Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv.
The Mission took part in arrangement of the first Parliamentary hearings on Crimea: “Strategy on de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to Ukraine” (but the event was postponed due to quarantine restrictions)
On 22 December 2020 “Memorandum of cooperation to consolidate efforts for preservation of the documented facts on events and crimes, committed in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea and Donetsk and Lugansk regions” was signed by the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, General Prosecutor’s Office, Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, International Renaissance Fund, Security Research Center “Prometheus”.
The Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea highly appreciates the cooperation in 2020 with partnership state institutions, civic and international organizations, diplomats and journalists and especially those who continue their fighting for de-occupation in the temporarily occupied Crimea and beyond.