The participants in the parliamentary hearings, having discussed issues related to Ukraine’s failure to comply with UN Security Council Resolution No. 2202 (2015) on the situation in Eastern Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the Resolution), report the following.
On February 17, 2015, the UN Security Council adopted a Resolution which approved the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements (hereinafter referred to as the Package of Measures) signed in Minsk on February 12, 2015, and also called on both parties to the conflict to ensure the full implementation of the Package of Measures, including a comprehensive ceasefire.
The undoubted practical value of the Resolution lies in granting the binding status for both parties to the non-international armed conflict in Donbass to a document providing for a peaceful settlement:
- in the field of security – an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire, as well as the withdrawal of weapons;
- in the humanitarian sphere – the release and exchange of all hostages and illegally detained persons on the basis of the principle of “all for all”;
- in the economic sphere, the restoration of socio-economic ties, including social transfers, such as pensions and other payments;
- in the political sphere – the enactment of permanent legislation on the special status of certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, the adoption of amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine, agreed with the representatives of these territories, the enactment of a law prohibiting the prosecution and punishment of persons in connection with events that took place in Donbass, coordination of modalities of local elections and their conduct according to OSCE standards and under the supervision of the OSCE/ODIHR.
The Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic took all necessary measures to ensure a ceasefire, withdraw forces beyond the lines established in the agreement, as well as unhindered access by the OSCE SMM throughout the Donetsk People’s Republic. Representatives of the Donetsk People’s Republic in the thematic groups on the implementation of the relevant aspects of the Minsk Agreements provided all the necessary draft documents for the implementation of the political part of the Package of Measures in several editions, provided accurate lists of all hostages and illegally detained persons for the exchange according to the “all for all” formula, developed and introduced mechanisms for restoring socio-economic ties.
At the same time, 300-600 violations of the “silence regime” by Ukraine have been recorded each day. Since the beginning of the so-called “ATO”, more than 10 thousand people have died, including more than 100 children, 20 thousand social infrastructure facilities have been destroyed. Due to the transport and economic blockade imposed by the Government of Ukraine, the rights to free movement, to receive pensions and other compulsory social payments were violated, the price of products has almost doubled, including for essential goods, hundreds of thousands of people lost their jobs and were put on the brink of survival. About 970 people who expressed loyalty to the people of Donbass in one way or another are still hostages, political prisoners and illegally detained by special services and armed groups of Ukraine – the list of these people was provided to the representatives of Ukraine in Minsk for the exchange on an “all for all” basis, but such an exchange has not yet taken place due to unclear data on the whereabouts of these persons, failure to provide accurate lists for the exchange by Ukraine and other formal pretexts. The law of Ukraine of September 16, 2014 “On the special procedure for local self-government in certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions” has not yet been implemented, the procedure for its entry into force has not been established, the law “On the Prevention of Persecution and Punishment of persons participating in the events in Donbass” has not been implemented. Also, the appropriate amendments to the constitution of Ukraine were not agreed and not adopted, taking into account the special status of certain regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, the official position of Ukraine on the modality of local elections in the territories was not submitted for discussion and approval.
On June 1, 2016, the Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, announced the beginning of the collection of signatures for Petition on Ukraine’s non-compliance with the UN Security Council Resolution of 02.17.2015 “On approval of the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements”. To date, more than 326 thousand signatures have been collected in less than two months. Almost each of the signatories suffered in one way or another from the actions of Ukraine: some have relatives, friends or neighbours, who have been killed or injured, someone suffered from a destroyed property, someone lost their livelihoods and are unable to support their family, some are worried about relatives illegally held by the Ukrainian secret services …
Driven to despair, the residents of the Republic initiated the creation of public commissions for documenting the crimes of the Ukrainian authorities in the territory of Donbass, which thousands of citizens approach daily. Thus, the number of signatures collected under the Petition indicates that every inhabitant of the Donetsk People’s Republic every day suffers from Ukraine’s failure to fulfil the Package of Measures.
Based on the foregoing, as well as sincerely wishing to end the armed conflict and restore peace and tranquility in Donbass as soon as possible, being a part of the people of the Donetsk People’s Republic and supporting the requirements expressed during the collection of signatures under the Petition on Ukraine’s non-fulfillment of obligations under the Minsk Agreements, realizing their responsibility for honest and objective coverage of the situation, participants in the parliamentary hearings:
note that by the day of the hearing, Ukraine has not complied with any of the points in the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements of February 12, 2015, approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2202 of February 17, 2015;
appeal to the world community and international organizations with a request to influence the negotiators in the “Normandy format” as guarantors of the implementation of the Package of Measures in order to push the Ukrainian side to fulfill its obligations.
