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Council of Europe

In 2014 and 2017, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted 11 decisions «Situation in Ukraine», on 3 May 2018 – «Situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol», and on 11 May 2021 – decision «Situation with human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city Sevastopol (Ukraine)». They declared full support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, condemned Russia’s violation of fundamental norms of international law, norms of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in the temporarily occupied territories.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has repeatedly addressed the issues of Crimea and Donbas. Among its key documents are the following resolutions:

  • «Recent developments in Ukraine: threats to the functioning of democratic institutions» 1988 (2014) of 9 April 2014
  • «Reconsideration on substantive grounds of the previously ratified credentials of the Russian delegation» 1990 (2014) of 10 April 2014. The Russian delegation was deprived of: the right to vote in the Assembly, the right to be represented in PACE governing bodies, the right to participate in PACE election observation missions. The grounds for challenging the credentials of the Russian delegation were the annexation of Crimea, further threats of force, and interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine.
  • «Consideration of the annulment of the previously ratified credentials of the delegation of the Russian Federation (follow-up to paragraph 16 of Resolution 2034 (2015))» 2063 (2015) of 24 June 2015. The PACE recognized the presence of Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine, noted Russia’s crucial role in supporting illegal military formations, including with armaments.
  • Resolution 2067 (2015) and Recommendation 2076 (2015) Missing persons during the conflict in Ukraine of 25 June 2015, which state the fact of Russian aggression against Ukraine as a precondition for the problem of missing persons.
  • «Political consequences of the Russian aggression in Ukraine» 2132 (2016) of 12 October 2016. The Assembly condemns the illegal elections to the Duma of the Russian Federation held on September 18 in the occupied Crimea and considers their results invalid.
  • «Legal remedies for human rights violations on the Ukrainian territories outside the control of the Ukrainian authorities» 2133 (2016) of 12 October 2016. This Resolution is the first international instrument to recognize the Russian Federation as a party to the conflict and to use the term «effective control».
  • «Ukrainian citizens held by the Russian Federation as political prisoners» 2231 (2018) of 28 June 2018.
  • «The escalation of tensions around the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait and threats to European security» 2259 (2019) of 24 January 2019. The main requirements of the Resolution to the Russian Federation: immediate release of captured Ukrainian sailors; use international legal and diplomatic opportunities to resolve and de-escalate the conflict; to ensure freedom of passage through the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait.
  • «Human rights violations committed against Crimean Tatars in Crimea» 2387 (2021) of 23 June 2021.