The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its resolute protest to the Russian Federation in connection with the illegitimate “court” decision on the occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of the Crimea, sentencing Ukrainian citizen Denys Kashuk to 3 years and 8 months of imprisonment under fabricated charges of purchase and possession of explosives.

Occupation administration deprived Denys Kashuk of the right to defense, in particular, the independent lawyer was allowed to engage only at the trial stage. Denys Kashuk was under occupants’ psychological  pressure marked with the threats  against his relatives. As a result of these threats, some members of his family were forced to leave the peninsula.

We consider these actions of the occupation authorities in Crimea as the continuation of political repressions against the Ukrainian citizens, who live under occupation.

Moreover, the occupation administration deliberately resorts to actions that put under the serious threat the lives and health of the Ukrainian citizens in condition of fast spread of the COVID-19 virus, inappropriate medical protection in the occupied territories and particular epidemiological vulnerability in Russian prisons.  

Russia must cease the flagrant violation of human rights and implement the UN General Assembly Resolutions “Territorial integrity of Ukraine” of March 27, 2014 and “Situation of Human Rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (Ukraine)” (2016-2019).

Ukraine demands to fully guarantee the right to life and access to healthcare for illegally detained Ukrainians, to provide full and comprehensive access for the international monitoring missions and ICRC representatives to the temporarily occupied territories and illegally detained citizens for qualified medical examination and treatment.

We call on international community to increase political, diplomatic and sanction pressure on the aggressor state in order to stop human rights violations by Russia in temporarily occupied Crimea, to release all illegally detained Ukrainian citizens in the Russian Federation and on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, and to restore the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.