Ombudsman's Office presents report on situation in Ukrainian military zone
The Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine presented a Special Report on the situation in the territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation on Thursday, March 27, in Kyiv.
"The special report is the first thorough study that systematizes the fact that the Russian Federation is occupying Ukrainian territories, the crimes they are committing there. This is not just a list of violations, but an understanding of the methods, tactics and strategies of the occupier," said Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets at the presentation of the report.
According to Lubinets, the report was the first official document of the Ukrainian government with an analysis of the stages of the Russian Federation’s preparation for the occupation of Ukrainian territories and the establishment of occupation power.
This document was prepared by the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine with the support of civil society and representatives of state authorities, in particular the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the State Border Guard Service, the Foreign Intelligence Service and the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. In total, more than 100 people were involved in the working group.
The report consists of four sections and covers the actions and policies of the Russian Federation that preceded the occupation; the use of gross human rights violations by the occupation authorities to subjugate the civilian population; systemic practices of human rights violations while maintaining control over territories; and responses to and counteraction to Russian aggression at the national and international levels.
In addition, the report also included recommendations for government agencies and international partners to counter Russian policies.
As the ombudsman noted, the date of the presentation was not chosen by chance. It was on March 27, 11 years ago, that the first resolution of the UN General Assembly on the territorial integrity of Ukraine was adopted.
"Then this resolution confirmed the sovereignty and internationally recognized borders of our state. In fact, this resolution became the first official legal response of the international community to the illegal actions of the Russian Federation, to the illegal occupation of Ukrainian Crimea by Russia," he said.