Today, when Ukraine marks the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, we are grateful to the countries and organizations that supported the Joint Statement of the International Crimea Platform: 

Council of Europe, EU, GUAM, Australia, Austria, Albania, Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Türkiye, Hungary, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Sweden, Japan.

"On the occasion of the Resistance Day to Occupation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, marked in Ukraine on 26 February,
Following the establishment of the International Crimea Platform on its Inaugural Summit on 23 August 2021 in Kyiv, as well as its Second Summit on 23 August 2022 in Kyiv and taking into account the First Parliamentary Summit on 25 October 2022 in Zagreb, and recognizing the outcome documents adopted therein,
Recalling all relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly including 68/262 of 27 March 2014 “Territorial integrity of Ukraine”, ES-11/1 of 2 March 2022 “Aggression against Ukraine”, ES-11/2 of 24 March 2022 “Humanitarian consequences of the aggression against Ukraine”, ES-11/4 of 12 October “Territorial Integrity of Ukraine: Defending the Principles of the Charter of the United Nations”,ES-11/5 of 14 November “Furtherance of remedy and reparation of aggression against Ukraine”, and ES-11/6 of 23 February “UN Charter principles underlying a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine ”,

We, the Participants in the International Crimea Platform:

Reiterate our unwavering support to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders and for Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defense against the Russian Federation’s unprovoked aggression.

Condemn in the strongest possible terms the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, and its indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians and civilian infrastructure. The Russian Federation bears full responsibility for the war it has started and all those responsible for any war crimes and the other most serious crimes must be held accountable. Acknowledge Ukraine’s efforts to secure accountability, including for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Recognize that the Russian Federation’s war of aggression against Ukraine has far-reaching consequences and an adverse impact on global peace and security far beyond Ukraine and the European continent.

Will never recognize the Russian Federation’s attempted illegal annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, as well as the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, which blatantly violates international law, including the UN Charter and constitutes a direct threat to international security with grave implications for the international rules based order.

Reiterate our condemnation in the strongest possible terms of the organization by the Russian Federation of illegal so-called referendums in regions within the internationally recognized borders of Ukraine and the attempted illegal annexation of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, following the organization of the above-mentioned referendums.

Reiterate our determination to counter the Russian Federation’s false narratives, propaganda and disinformation and reconfirm that we will never recognize the so-called “referenda”, including the one organized in Crimea in 2014 and consider them as null and void and that produce no legal effect whatsoever.

Urge the Russian Federation to immediately cease its military hostilities and violence and call for the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including Crimea.

Demand that Russia stops attacking Ukrainian critical civilian energy infrastructure, causing a humanitarian catastrophe. The brutal actions of the Russian army directed against Ukraine’s energy sector are utterly disproportionate to any apparent military purpose, in violation of international humanitarian law, designed to instill terror among the population and affect the lives of millions of civilians, who are in the greatest need of assistance, and are facing a winter without water, heat and electricity. With these attacks, the Russian Federation disregards the basic principles of distinction, proportionality and precautions set out by international humanitarian law.

Remain gravely concerned about the implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Since the start of Russia’s invasion, nuclear facilities in Ukraine have experienced significant disruptions to their normal operations, posing a grave threat to operational safety and inhibiting the competent Ukrainian authorities from carrying out routine safeguards tasks.

Call on the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops and military equipment from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant and return it to full control of its legitimate owner – Ukraine. It is absolutely unacceptable to use nuclear threats and blackmail in order to achieve military and political goals.

Express concern about the impact of Russian Federation’s full-scale military invasion on the global food market, which has exacerbated the global food security crisis and its humanitarian, political and economic consequences. The war of aggression which the Russian Federation wages against Ukraine has fed a vicious cycle of high food and energy prices, thus aggravating a major cost of living crisis. We stand in this respect in full solidarity with partners world-wide by stepping up the diplomatic outreach and support for global food security. The UN-Türkiye Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Grain from Ukraine programme, Solidarity Lanes are essential for our shared objective of ensuring continued availability and affordability of food and fertilizers.

Call on Russian occupying authorities in Crimea to immediately halt repressive measures against, and abuses of the human rights of Ukrainians and indigenous Crimean Tatars, to instantly stop its arbitrary searches, detentions, torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment and other forms of political pressure, systematic “filtration” and large-scale forced deportation of Ukrainians, including children.

Will continue to exert pressure on the Russian Federation to immediately release all citizens illegally imprisoned by its occupying authorities in Crimea, including Emir-Usein Kuku, Halyna Dovhopola, Server Mustafayev, Vladyslav Yesypenko, Nariman Dzhelyal, Iryna Danylovych, Bohdan Ziza, Enver Krosh, Vilen Temeryanov and many others.

Strongly denounce the failure of Russian authorities to accommodate the medical needs of all Ukrainian citizens unlawfully detained for the exercise of their human rights and fundamental freedoms, which has already led to the death of the Ukrainian citizens Kostyantyn Shyring and Dzhemil Hafarov.

Condemn the searches and arrests of Crimean Muslims, as well as the systematic policy of oppression of all religious communities, which incite hatred against the persons belonging to religious minorities and their communities, including Crimean Muslims. No individual in Crimea should be criminally charged or detained for practising their religion or belief. These abuses eventually contribute to changing the demographic, including ethnic structure in Crimea.

Reiterate our demand to the Russian Federation to comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, to which Russia is a party, and immediately halt illegal mobilization in the temporarily controlled territories of Ukraine, including in Crimea, where Crimean Tatars are disproportionately targeted. This constitutes yet another violation of international law by the Russian Federation.

Continue to denounce strongly the decision of the Russian occupation authorities to designate the Crimean Tatar Mejlis an extremist organization and demand that, in line with the 19 April 2017 Order of the International Court of Justice, the Russian Federation refrain from maintaining or imposing limitations on the ability of the Crimean Tatar community to conserve its representative institutions. Its leadership must be allowed to come back to Crimea.

Consider it crucial to continue effective monitoring of the human rights impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine, which caused a dramatic and rapid deterioration of the human rights situation in the territories temporarily controlled by Russia, including the temporarily occupied Crimea.

Reiterate our demand to the Russian Federation to provide safe and unfettered access to all temporarily controlled territories of Ukraine, including the temporarily occupied Crimea, for established regional and international human rights monitoring mechanisms and human rights non-governmental organizations.

Condemn the continued resettlement of Russian citizens to Crimea as an unacceptable attempt to change the demographic structure of the temporarily occupied Crimea. This complements the already wide-spread practice to suppress dissent of Crimean residents following and during the Russian Federation’s unprovoked aggression against Ukraine, forcing them eventually to leave the Peninsula.

Condemn the Russian Federation’s militarization of the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula, and its use as an outpost for the full-scale military invasion on mainland Ukraine.

Demand the Russian Federation to stop obstructing the freedom of navigation in the Sea of Azov and Black Sea, which is causing or exacerbating regional and international crises and disruptions, in particular in the agricultural sector of Ukraine, and global food security.

Urge the Russian Federation to immediately stop illegal smuggling of Ukrainian grain from the temporarily controlled territories and temporarily occupied Crimea, free all Ukrainian seized sea ports and withdraw its military and warfare equipment, from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial waters, in order to facilitate the renewal of the international trade flows.

Reiterate our unwavering commitment to the policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and of attempted illegal annexation of other territories of Ukraine and reconfirm our readiness to continue diplomatic and restrictive pressure on the Russian Federation aiming to counter its illegal actions.

Stand for as long as necessary by Ukraine’s commitment to end the temporary occupation of Crimea and the efforts to restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

Confirm our readiness to deepen political, diplomatic, financial, humanitarian and other support for Ukraine until the complete restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, within its internationally recognized borders.

Stand by Ukrainians in their struggle against Russian oppression, until their political, economic, cultural, educational, and the human rights are fully restored under the jurisdiction of Ukraine.

Stress once again that we do not and will not recognize any alteration by the Russian Federation of the status of any of the territories of Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, and urge other countries to stand with us against those who threaten the internationally held principle of the inviolability of borders, and join our efforts in supporting the full restoration of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders".