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Ukraine to demand Russia pay $1trl for Crimea, Donbas — PM Yatsenyuk

The Kremlin is surprised by Ukraine’s plans to demand Russia pay at least $1 trillion for Crimea and Donbas

Mural showing the Crimean peninsula in Russian national colours on the wall of a building in Moscow ITAR-TASS/Zurab Javakhadze

Mural showing the Crimean peninsula in Russian national colours on the wall of a building in Moscow

© ITAR-TASS/Zurab Javakhadze

KIEV, October 15. /TASS/. Ukraine seeks to demand in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) that Russia pay more than $1 trillion, the country’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said on Thursday.

"We have two key cases in the ECHR. These two legal cases concern both Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the Russian intervention in Donetsk and Luhansk," Yatsenyuk said.

"The final sum of damages [of Ukraine] from the Russian Federation will appear on the final stage of considering the case in the ECHR," he told Ukraine’s parliament.

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The date of accepting Russia’s explanations on these lawsuits is defined by the court as January 1, 2016. Yatsenyuk called on Russia not to request postponing the consideration of the case.

Ukraine has a range of commercial and arbitration disputes against Russia including by the state companies that sustained losses and lost their property as a result of Russia’s "aggression" in Crimea, and Donbas.

"Our banks and other state companies will sue Russia in all the courts - commercial and arbitration, the process is underway," Yatsenyuk said.

Kiev has also filed two lawsuits against Russia’s energy giant Gazprom concerning the contract on gas supplies and transit.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said earlier on Thursday he was surprised by Ukraine’s plans. "Crimea is the territory of Russia. Donbas is the territory of Ukraine. What is this $1 trillion about? It is not clear," Peskov told reporters.

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Ukraine crisis Crimea and Sevastopol Arseniy Yatsenyuk

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