On 3 December 2020, on the sidelines of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly, First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Emine Dzhaparova opened a virtual side-event "Militarization of Crimea: a threat to global security".

The event which brought together the UN diplomatic corps was also attended by Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Anatoliy Petrenko, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Center for Defense Strategies Alina Frolova, representatives of the Center for Defense Studies of Ukraine and the US Center for European Policy Analysis.

In her introductory speech, Emine Dzhaparova highlighted the current security situation in the Azov and Black Sea region and significant threats due to the growing military presence of Russia as occupying power on the peninsula.

The First Deputy Minister informed, in particular, about the ongoing supply by Russia to the temporarily occupied Crimea of weapons and means capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the deployment of military personnel and the seizure of former nuclear weapons storage facilities. She also stressed Russia's destabilization of international verification and control regimes, and outlined the problem of "militarization of education" and the illegal conscription of local people into the Russian armed forces.

The First Deputy Minister stressed the importance of strengthening international efforts to counter Russian aggression against Ukraine, she invited foreign partners to join the Crimean platform.

Emine Dzhaparova drew attention of the participants to an updated draft Resolution "Problem of the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, as well as parts of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov " submitted to the current session of the UN General Assembly. The main purpose of the resolution is the de-occupation of the peninsula and the complete withdrawal of the Russian armed forces.

The participants of the event stressed the importance of appropriate response to the threats to the regional security arising from the illegal actions of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied Crimea.