GENEVA, March 19. /TASS/. Kiev’s Western patrons connive with the Ukrainian authorities, who imposed a barbaric water, transport and energy blockade on Crimea, deputy chairman of Crimea’s Council of Ministers, Georgy Muradov, said at the ongoing 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council on Friday.

For a period of seven years "Ukraine and a group of Western countries contrary to their international obligations have conducted an inhuman policy of punishing the Crimeans for retaining their language, culture and identify," he said. "Kiev’s Western patrons connive with the Ukrainian authorities, who imposed a barbaric water, energy, transport, food and humanitarian blockade on Crimea," Muradov said, adding that "they help Kiev to push through false anti-Crimean resolutions through the UN General Assembly."

The declaration of independence by the Republic of Crimea, its recognition and subsequent reunification with Russia "is a legitimate way in which the peoples of Crimea exercise their right to self-determination in a situation following a forcible government coup in Ukraine."

"Self-determination became the sole possible way of protecting the peoples of Crimea from ethnic cleansing and repression in the face of rampaging nationalist radicals in Ukraine," he stated.

The UN Human Rights Council at its 46th session (on February 22 - March 23) is discussing crucial human rights problems of today, including the observance of religious freedoms and rights of children and disabled. Russia participates in the session after a three-year interval. It was elected to the HRC in October 2020 for a period of three years that began on January 1, 2021.

After a government coup in Ukraine in February 2014 the authorities of Crimea and Sevastopol made a decision to hold a referendum on reunification with Russia. In the voting held on March 16 more than 80% of those eligible to cast their ballots took part. The unification with Russia was supported by 96.7% and 95.6% in Crimea and Sevastopol respectively. On March 18, the Russian president signed a treaty on the accession of the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol to the Russian Federation. On March 21, the treaty was ratified by the Federal Assembly. In defiance of the indisputable results of the referendum Kiev refused to recognize Crimea as part of Russia.