On 15 November 2018 The Third Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations approved the updated draft resolution “Situation of Human Rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol (Ukraine)”. The specific resolution on the occupied Crimea was supported by 67 member countries of the UN and 35 ones had become its co-authors. The draft resolution condemned the illegal temporarily occupation of Crimea, an integral part of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol and affirmed the failure to recognize the attempt of its annexation and that the seizure of Crimea by force was illegal with the violation of international law, and affirming also that those territories had to be returned to Ukraine.
The member countries express their concern that Russia does not comply with the regulations of the previous Assembly resolutions and corresponding decisions of international organizations and specialized agencies and bodies within the United Nations system. They appreciated the efforts of Ukraine to respect the international law. Besides, the document condemns the politically motivated persecution of Ukrainian citizens and calls for the release of all Ukrainians who are detained illegally in the occupied Crimea and in Russia. Illegally deprived of freedom the Ukrainian Director Oleg Sentsov, activist Vladimir Balukh and Crimean Tatar human rights activist Emir-Usein Kuku and other political prisoners.
In the draft resolution, the state- aggressor is strongly urged to comply with the decisions of International Court of Justice dated 19 April 2017 on restoration of rights and freedoms of citizens of Ukraine in the peninsula, to provide access of independent doctors of international medical institutions and Ukrainian authorities as well to Ukrainian citizens, illegally detained in the Russian territory and Crimea. The draft resolution further calls for end of the involvement of residents of Crimea in military operations and the end of deportation of Ukrainian citizens from the Crimean peninsula because they failed to become the Russian citizens.
However, the draft resolution contains the requirement of the international organizations and specialized UN agencies to indicate in the official documents of the Ukrainian peninsula as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol city (Ukraine), which are temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation.