Ukraine’s Parliament amends date of start of Crimea’s temporary occupation

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine passed the bill, which sets February 20, 2014 as an official date of the beginning of the Crimea’s occupation by the Russian troops.

The bill No.2954 “On amendments into some laws of Ukraine on fixing a date of the beginning of temporary occupation” was supported by 239 MPs and thereby passed as a basis and as a whole, BBC Ukraine reports.

“The Verkhovna Rada of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea was actually seized on February 26, 2014, while the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation illegally crossed the state border of Ukraine and stayed on the Ukrainian territory with the aim of temporary occupation of the peninsula on February 20, 2014,” reads the wording.

In addition, the law supported the initiative of the Ukrainian government, according to which the Article 12 of the Law of Ukraine “On the creation of a free trade area ‘Crimea’ and on the peculiarities of conducting economic activity on the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine” no longer has the provision stating that start of Crimea’s occupation is marked by UN general Assembly’s resolution coming into force on March 27, 2014.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, speaking from the parliamentary rostrum, said that the differences in the dates created uncertainties in the legal field.

The law shall become void if the temporarily occupied territory is returned under the jurisdiction of Ukraine upon condition of the advanced and complete compensation for damages incurred as a result of the occupation, in particular compensation for moral damage to the internally displaced persons.

The explanatory note to the document states that “definition of the dates of start and end of temporary occupation of the part of territory of Ukraine is the important aspect in terms of international law and national legislation, as well as protection of national interests of Ukraine and its citizens.”