Crimea Platform and Russian militarization: UN General Assembly adopts new resolution

As an Ukrinform correspondent reported from New York, 63 countries voted in favor of the resolution, 22 voted against, and 55 abstained (Japan voted in favor, as its representative explained, but that was not reflected on the screen for technical reasons).

The document was supported by all democracies and traditionally opposed by Russia, Armenia, Belarus, China, Cuba, Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

The document, adopted annually since 2018, was supplemented, in particular, by a reference to the international Crimea Platform and its declaration.

The resolution urges the Russian Federation, as the occupying power, to immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw its armed forces from Crimea and to suspend the temporary occupation of Ukraine without delay.

The General Assembly expresses serious concern over the gradual militarization of Crimea, in particular the prolonged destabilization of the peninsula through the supply of weapons from Russia to Ukraine, such as tanks, armored personnel carriers, nuclear capable aircraft, helicopters, missiles, small arms, small arms and light weapons. and servicemembers.

In addition, the resolution underscores the inadmissibility of the Russian Federation's call-up of Crimean residents to its armed forces, in particular in the territory of Russia, which is contrary to international humanitarian law.

The General Assembly calls on Russia to refrain from establishing educational institutions that provide combat training for Crimean children to prepare them for military service in the Russian armed forces, combat training courses in Crimean schools, and stop efforts to officially include Crimean educational institutions in the system of military-patriotic education of the Russian Federation.

Several provisions of the resolution condemn the actions of the occupying power to block certain areas of the Black and Azov Seas, the Kerch Strait, intentional obstruction of navigation in violation of international law, expansion of Russian naval bases in Crimea, military exercises in the region, construction of a bridge across the Kerch, etc.

The resolution calls on all states and international organizations and specialized agencies to refrain from any visits to Crimea that are not agreed with Ukraine.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba thanked the UN member states for supporting the enhanced resolution on the militarization of Crimea at the General Assembly.

"Grateful to all states who supported the resolution. It further consolidates international support for the Crimea Platform and its goals, addresses the progressing militarization of Crimea, sends a deterrence signal amid the ongoing Russian build-up near our border and in Crimea," he posted on Twitter.

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