Mr. Chairperson,

“Normandy 4” Ministerial meeting in a format of video conference took place on 30 April. Bringing your attention to the results of the meeting let me first quote Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine D.Kuleba, I quote: “Ukraine's position remains unchanged and is fully supported by our partners from France and Germany. It states that the Trilateral Contact Group – which includes Russia as an aggressor state, Ukraine as a state which defends itself from aggression, the OSCE as a mediator, and invited participants – remains a key mechanism for finding mutually acceptable solutions that should lead us to the end of the war and the de-occupation of our territories. I emphasized during the conversation that we were ready for a dialogue on any sensitive issues but we would never cross the Ukrainian ‘red lines’”, end of quote.

He informed that a certain part of the conversation had been devoted to the attempts of the Russian foreign minister to "bring the interpretation of reality into a direct dialogue between Kyiv and so-called ‘Donetsk’ and ‘Luhansk.” “Ukraine is ready to speak with Ukrainians living in the occupied territories, and more so, we seek such a dialogue. However, we must not speak with those illegal formations who are not authorized to properly represent the interests of Ukrainians from the occupied territories" the Ukrainian minister stressed.

Minister Kuleba also stated that the foreign ministers of the Normandy countries had not held discussion about the creation of the so-called Consultative Council within the Trilateral Contact Group’s political subgroup, during the video conference and listened to Russia’s position on this matter only. The foreign ministers of Germany, France, Ukraine and Russia agreed to hold further talks in a month’s time, with the aim of preparing the conditions for a summit of the Normandy Four leaders.

On the sorrowful day of 2 May, when we mark 6 years since the tragic events in Odesa. Ukraine deplores the hypocrisy of Russian propaganda that continues exploiting this tragedy to incite hostility and hatred.

The events in Odesa on 2 May 2014, became another element in a chain of provocations that the Russian Federation resorted to in pursuit of its failed project of “Novorossiya”, aimed at destabilizing Ukraine’s East and South as well as attempting disintegrating Ukraine.

Extremist forces in Odesa followed the same scenario masterminded earlier by Russia in Donbas – they proclaimed a fake “people’s republic”, initiated violent riots with the use of arms and support by militants from abroad, intimidated local activists and tried to paralyze local authorities and security forces. The 2^nd of May had to become a decisive day for the implementation of these plans. The attack of armed extremists under Russian flags, against a peaceful rally supporting the unity of Ukraine, triggered further events and led to the first casualties. The Russian side has never mentioned the bloody events in the city center, which preceded the fire in the Trade Unions House. Russia has also been silent about the established facts of ignitions inside the Trade Unions House, as well as about pro-unity activists rescuing people trapped in the burning Trade Unions House.

Ukrainian law enforcement agencies did their best to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice. As a result of criminal investigations of the events, 37 charges were filed with the court. 3 individuals were convicted. The State Investigations Bureau carries out a separate pre-trial investigation under criminal proceedings on suspected involvement of Russian secret services in the organization of violent riots in Odesa.

Russia seems to be the only party not interested in establishing the true picture of the tragic events in Odesa or the causes of said tragedy. Not only did Moscow cover up Dmytro Fuchedzhy, former deputy chief of the Head Office of the Ministry of Interior in Odesa region and one of the main suspects of the investigation, but reportedly granted him Russian citizenship and refused Ukraine's bid for his extradition under this pretext. During the negotiations on the mutual release of detained persons during September – December 2019, Russia insisted that Ukraine handed over at least 9 individuals, who were direct or indirect organizers and participants of the violent riots in Odesa under Russian flags.

We call on the international community to intensify common efforts to counter Russian propaganda and disinformation, which are significant elements of the Russian aggression and destabilizing activities against Ukraine and other democratic states.

Ukraine expresses its resolute protest over yet another conscription to military service by the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine - the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol. This spring it is planned to send almost 3,300 people for “military service” from the territory of the Peninsula. Most cynically, majority of them are expected to serve beyond the Crimea, in particular in the Southern Military District of the AF of the Russian Federation, whose military units and command are directly involved in carrying out armed aggression against Ukraine in Donbas.

Such actions by the Russian Federation constitute a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits Russia, as an Occupying Power, from forcing protected persons to serve in its armed or auxiliary forces. It is also forbidden to pressure and propagate in favour of voluntary military recruitment, as well as to move persons, under protection, outside of the occupied territory.

Moscow continues to ignore calls of the international community to stop the violations of international law by pursuing conscriptions in the occupied Crimea. This in particular, is mentioned in the UN GA Resolution “Human Rights Situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, Ukraine”, adopted on 18 December 2019.

The report of the UN Secretary-General “Human Rights Situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol, Ukraine” dated 2 August 2019, which was prepared as a follow-up to the UN GA Resolution A/RES/73/263, states that since 2015 at least 18,000 Crimeans have been conscripted into service in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The report also records numerous criminal prosecutions by the Russian occupying authorities of Crimean residents for their unwillingness to serve in the Russian army.

While the world community is struggling with the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the announcement of the so-called "spring conscription" looks particularly brazen and brutal. According to Article 56 of the 1949 Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, “the Occupying Power has the duty of ensuring and maintaining … public health in the occupied territory, with particular reference to the adoption and application of the prophylactic and preventive measures necessary to combat the spread of contagious diseases and epidemics.”

Ukraine demands from the Russian Federation to cancel the conscription to military service in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and to ensure strict compliance with its international obligations as an occupying power.

According to the Joint Forces Commander, Lieutenant-General V.Kravchenko, to control the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation has formed, and maintains in Donbas, a task grouping of Russian-occupation troops as part of the 1st (Donetsk) and the 2nd (Luhansk) army corps, with the overall number of more than 35 thousand personnel, who are operationally subordinate to the army of the Southern Military District of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The bulk of key and command personnel of the regiments, brigades, and command staffs of the army corps are the career officers and generals of the Russian Armed Forces, who are being sent to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine on a rotational basis. Today, over two thousand Russian career officers are stationed in the occupied part of Donbas. At the same time, the posts of junior enlisted and commanders of the tactical units are taken up mainly by local residents and mercenaries from Russia. In order to maintain the administrative-police regime and ensure the functioning of the occupation administrations, other so called “security agencies” had been created – the “Ministry of Internal Affairs” and the “Ministry of State Security”, which are directly managed by the Russian Interior Ministry and the Federal Security Service (FSB). Apart from maintaining and backing its illegal armed formations, the Russian Federation uses the territory of Donbas as a military training ground and tests cutting-edge weapons systems for its army, the Ukrainian Commander emphasized.

New facts of the Russian Federation's direct involvement in the war in eastern Ukraine have been documented last month. 

Ukrainian military on 5 April downed a Russian-made UAV “Zastava” Bird Eye 400, which has been produced by the Russian Federation since 2012. This is more evidence proving Russia’s direct involvement in the conflict in the east of Ukraine, despite its cynical denials of this mere fact. The images and information regarding these UAV can be seen on the following slides. – Slides 1-4.

A weekly report of SMM 17/2020 28 April 2020 (For the period 20-26 April 2020) stated the following: «The SMM observed demining activities in a field east of the road between Petrivske and Styla. It saw about 50 holes and three small craters where five anti-personnel mines (PMN-2) were previously observed. 

The Mission also saw a transparent sack containing about 20 anti-personnel mines (PMN-2) lying on the ground; however, it could not determine whether this was an indication of demining or mine-laying activity». – See Slide 5.

At the same time, there should be no hesitance in this case: this was a process of mine-laying activity conducted by the Russian Armed Forces. In accordance with their terminology, PMN-2 is anti-handling device. They are quite safe before their activation and can be transported and carried relatively safe even in sacks. However, in accordance with Russian combat guidance when they are installed on the ground in a combat position, it is prohibited to remove and disarm them. They are destroyed by the explosion of an explosive charge laid next to the mine, or by multiple passages through the minefield of tanks with trawls.

This is one more evidence of Russian armed aggression against my country and a fact of flagrant violation of international law by the Russian Federation by using antipersonnel mines, prohibited by Ottawa Treaty, on the territory of Ukraine.

On 3 May, in the period 12.10-12.25 Russian forces fired several times in the direction of Verchnyoshirokivske - Pyshevyk at a site near Pavlopil. Later that day in the vicinity of Pavlopil Ukrainian military personnel discovered the S-8 unguided missile a few dozen meters from residential buildings. Next day, on 4^th of May the fact was recorded by representatives of JCCC. Fortunately, the rocket did not explode. None of the locals were injured. It is likely that the launch of the S-8 was carried out with a makeshift ground launcher. - See Slide 6.

In conclusion, we urge the Russian Federation to stop its aggression against Ukraine, reverse its illegal occupation of Crimea, de-occupy parts of the Donbas region of Ukraine, and restore freedom of navigation through the Kerch Strait and in the Sea of Azov. Russia must fully implement its commitments under the Minsk agreements, including withdrawal of its forces, illegal armed formations and weapons from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.