The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its resolute protest to the Russian Federation and its occupying authorities in the territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol with regard to the unfounded detention of Ukrainian citizen Denis Kashuk who has been arrested on fabricated charges.

According to a ruling handed down by the so-called Kyivskiy district ‘court’ in Simferopol city that was taken in a closed hearing, Denis Kashuk will be detained until 18 February 2020. The possibility that physical and psychological coercion has taken place should not be ruled out due to Denis Kashuk’s alleged refusal of legal aid.

Russia must implement, in full, the resolutions of the UN General Assembly including the: “Territorial integrity of Ukraine” dated 27 March 2014, “Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine)" of 19 December 2016, 19 December 2017, 22 December 2018 and 18 December 2019, as well as the order of the International Court of Justice regarding provisional measures in the case of Ukraine vs Russia with respect to the application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

We call on the international community to increase political, diplomatic and sanctions pressure on Russia in order to help bring an end to the human rights violations taking place in temporarily occupied Crimea, to secure the release of all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens and to speed-up the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.