Russia has turned Crimea into a military outpost, an area of oppression for the past nine years | ukraine news
Nine years have passed since Russia staged the bogus “Crimea status referendum”. This so-called vote at gunpoint contradicts the Constitution and laws of Ukraine.
“March 16 marked the ninth anniversary of Russia’s holding of the bogus ‘Crimea status referendum’ and March 18 the ninth anniversary of the attempted illegal annexation, when the so-called ‘Agreements on the ‘Crimea’s accession to the Russian Federation’ have been signed,” reads the commentary from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs notes that Russian President Vladimir Putin, wanted by international justice for war crimes, would have arrived today in temporarily occupied Crimea.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that for nine consecutive years the Crimean peninsula has suffered from the criminal Kremlin regime, which has turned it into a military outpost, an area of oppression and lack of freedom, aggression and terror against everything and everyone who has found the courage to resist and defend their democratic rights and values.
“This ‘show’ (referendum) orchestrated by the Kremlin at gunpoint contradicts the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, has flagrantly violated the norms of international law and has not been recognized by the community international,” the comment read.
Russia repeated this trick last September, staging a similar propaganda show called a “referendum” in the temporarily captured territories of Ukraine’s Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses that the mock referendums in 2014 and 2022 have no consequences for the administrative-territorial system and internationally recognized borders of Ukraine. The Armed Forces of Ukraine have already liberated most of the territories where mock referendums were held in 2022. Other temporarily occupied territories will also be liberated. It’s just a matter of time.
Ukraine welcomes the clear and constant support of the international community. In particular, the support of participants in the Crimean International Platform regarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, which is enshrined in resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly the decisions of other international and regional organizations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its gratitude for the readiness of Ukraine’s international partners to gradually move towards complete disoccupation of all temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
Ukraine will continue to do its utmost to hold Russia and its leaders accountable for crimes of aggression, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
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