Ukraine will restore its sovereignty over the Crimean peninsula temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation and hold the leadership of the occupying state accountable for the crimes committed on Ukrainian territory, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said in a statement on the anniversary of the illegal "referendum" held by the Russian Federation in 2014 to legitimize annexation of the peninsula.

"We will return Crimea and every single piece of our land temporarily occupied by Russia, and hold Russia and its leadership responsible for all the crimes committed by it in Ukraine," , the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said on Twitter.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that on March 16, 2014, Russia, having seized the power by armed force in Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, held the so-called "referendum on the status of Crimea. This was the first stage of Moscow's plan aimed at destroying Ukrainian statehood.