UN General Assembly Called on Russia to Withdraw Troops from Crimea

Russia should end the occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula and stop the conscription of its residents into the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the resolution on the problem of the militarization of Crimea says. Participants of the 75th session of the UN General Assembly on Monday, December 7, adopted a resolution on the problem of militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as the waters of the Black and Azov Seas. The document was supported by 63 countries, 17 opposed, including Armenia, Belarus, China, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, and another 62 abstained. The drafters of the resolution called on the Russian Federation, which annexed the Ukrainian peninsula, to "immediately, completely and without setting any conditions to withdraw its armed forces from Crimea and immediately end the temporary occupation of Ukrainian territory." Annexation degrades the arms control architecture, which includes the 2011 Vienna Document on Confidence and Security Building Measures issued by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, and the Open Skies Treaty, the authors stressed. In addition, Russia should stop conscription of Crimean residents to the Russian Armed Forces in violation of international humanitarian law, as well as the "militarization" of education, the document says. The compilers noted the inclusion of educational institutions of the Crimea in the Russian system of military-patriotic education. Reaction of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba called the current resolution "a new element of the growing legal pressure on Russia." According to him, the adoption of the document shows that the problem of the militarization of Crimea "remains in the center of attention of the international community," and it considers "the transformation of Crimea into a huge military base" a direct threat to security and stability in the region. EU does not intend to recognize the annexation of Crimea The European Union supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, considers the Russian annexation of Crimea illegal and does not intend to recognize it, said the head of the EU delegation to the UN, Silvio Gonzato. Russia's actions are a blatant violation of international law and key principles of international order, Brussels noted. According to Gonzato, the militarization of the Ukrainian peninsula has worsened the security situation in the Black Sea region. The European Union is deeply concerned about the transfer of weapons systems and military personnel from the Russian Federation to Ukrainian territory. Sanctions against the Russian Federation after the annexation of Crimea Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in March 2014 and considers it its territory. Kiev and the overwhelming majority of countries in the world do not recognize the annexation of Ukrainian territory. Shortly thereafter, the United States, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand and Canada introduced the first package of sanctions against Moscow. In April-May of the same year, pseudo-state formations - "Donetsk Popular Republic" and "Luhansk Popular Republic" were illegally proclaimed in Donbass with the support of Moscow. Sanctions against Russia have been expanded due to Moscow's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine and the supply of weapons to.