The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine calls on the international community to increase political and sanctions pressure on Russia due to the aggression in Donbass and the occupation of Crimea, Mikhailovskaya said on the 7th anniversary of Russia’s armed invasion of Ukraine.
“The aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has radically changed the geopolitical situation in Europe and around the world. The authority of international law and the entire system of European and world security have been seriously undermined. The international community has condemned Russia’s actions in documents approved by such international organizations as the UN, OSCE, Council of Europe. Dozens of countries have applied sanctions against Russia for violating the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine demands from Russia to stop aggression, return to the space of international law and liberate the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea, Sevastopol, as well as parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
“We call on the international community to increase political and sanctions pressure on Russia in order to force the Russian authorities to de-occupy the occupied Ukrainian territories, release prisoners of war and political prisoners, and implement international court decisions,” Ukrainian diplomats added on Friday.
In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, Russia grossly and systematically violates human rights. Thus, in Crimea, pro-Ukrainian activists are persecuted, abducted and killed. About a hundred people are behind bars on baseless, politically motivated charges. Purposeful repressions against the Crimean Tatars continue.
In Donbass, cities and villages, infrastructure and industrial facilities were destroyed. Temporary occupation destroys cultural and historical heritage. It leads to catastrophic environmental consequences both in Donbass and in Crimea, diplomats remind.
For 7 years of Russian armed aggression against Ukraine, more than 13 thousand Ukrainians have died, of which more than 3 thousand are civilians. Tens of thousands were injured, about one and a half million people were displaced.
“We are convinced that through joint efforts, in particular within the framework of the Crimean platform, not only the territorial integrity of Ukraine will be restored, but also the authority of international law will be strengthened, peace and stability will be returned to the European continent. And the Russian Federation will bear full responsibility for all crimes committed against Ukraine and its citizens,” the diplomats summarize.
