SIMFEROPOL, December 26. /TASS/. Resolutions against Crimea have been receiving less and less support among United Nations General Assembly member states, Chairman of Crimea’s State Council Vladimir Konstantinov said, addressing the regional parliament.
On December 22, the UN General Assembly passed a Ukraine-drafted resolution, which condemned the alleged human rights violations in Crimea and Russia’s imposition of laws, jurisdiction and administration on the Crimean Peninsula. A total of 67 countries voted in favor of the document, which is five less than in 2017. Among those supporting the resolution were the United States, EU member countries, Turkey and Japan, while 27 countries, including Russia, Belarus, China, India, Serbia, Syria, South Africa, Nicaragua and Venezuela, voted against the document and another 70 countries abstained from voting.
"Anti-Crimean resolutions have been getting less and less support among United Nations General Assembly members," Konstantinov said, addressing Crimean lawmakers. "It has been slowly dawning on the world that the truth is on our side. It is a result of the efforts we have been making as part of the people-to-people diplomacy," he added.
Cynical statements
Konstantinov also slammed Kiev’s statements about the so-called "militarization" of the Crimean Peninsula as cynical. "They are sending their warships to our shores, deploying troops near our borders and at the same time complaining about ‘the militarization of Crimea’. They are just setting a world record in hypocrisy and cynicism," he noted.
On December 18, the UN General assembly passed a Ukraine-initiated resolution dubbed "Problem of the militarization of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, as well as parts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov." As many as 66 countries voted in favor of the document, 19 voted against it and 72 abstained.
Kerch Strait incident
On November 25, three Ukrainian navy ships illegally crossed Russia’s border and tried to carry out some illegal actions in Russian territorial waters later in the day. They ignored legitimate demands to stop issued by vessels belonging to the FSB Border Service and the Black Sea Fleet and continued maneuvering dangerously. In order to stop the Ukrainian ships, weapons had to be used. The three vessels were detained in Russian territorial waters. A criminal investigation was opened into the border incident. The Ukrainian ships’ crew members, 24 Ukrainian nationals, have been arrested until January 25, 2019. They are charged with violating the Russian border under Article 322.3 of the Russian Criminal Code. If found guilty, they may face up to six years in prison.