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DEThe Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a resolution appealing to the governments and parliaments of foreign states and international organisations to condemn the temporary occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, violations of human rights and freedoms in the temporarily occupied territories and to release Ukrainian political prisoners.
The resolution includes the appeal to the United Nations, the European Parliament, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the OSCE PA, the NATO PA, the BSEC PA, governments and parliaments of the world’s countries.
The explanatory note says that the main provisions of the appeal are calls for the continuation of the policy of non-recognition of the attempted annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, further consolidation of international cooperation to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity, including within Ukraine’s Crimean Platform political and diplomatic initiative.
The appeal also refers to the use of all possible international political, diplomatic and sanctions mechanisms against the Russian Federation in order to immediately release all persons captured during the ongoing armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine (in the occupied Crimea and in the Russian Federation).
The appeal contains a provision on counteracting the militarisation of the Crimean peninsula, condemning the violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms by the Russian occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied territories.
In addition, the resolution calls on the Russian Federation to stop the forcible transfer of illegally convicted citizens of Ukraine living in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea to penitentiaries located in the territory of the aggressor country.
On the eve of the adoption of the resolution, Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea Anton Korynevych said at the All-Ukrainian Forum “Ukraine 30. Public Utility Bill” that due to the Russian occupation of Crimea, Ukraine had lost about half of its gas deposits on the sea shelf.
“Shortly before the occupation, agreements were signed on the territory of the United States on the distribution of products, the development of the Scythian section of the Black Sea shelf … This project could have started in 2017 and would be very successful and very correct in terms of Ukraine increasing its own natural gas production,” the official noted.
He also added that, according to various data, half of all gas reserves in Ukraine are on the continental shelf of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Korynevych reminded that together with Crimea, Ukraine had lost the Chornomornaftogaz company with an onshore production base for offshore operations, a technological fleet, 10 offshore gas production platforms, four self-elevating drilling rigs, and many other energy facilities.
Ukraine continues to file lawsuits in international courts over the damage caused by Russia.
Bohdan Marusyak
