Above: Armed and masked Russian soldiers without insignia surround the Supreme Council of Crimea building on 27 February 2014 while the pro-Russian Aksyonov government is illegally installed on the inside. The illegal 16 March Aksyonov "referendum" violated the existing constitutions of both Ukraine and Crimea, which stipulated that the status of Crimea could not change unless approved by the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and approved by a nationwide referendum. A nationwide (all Ukraine) referendum would ensure that 2% of the population could not unilaterally decide the fate of land (Crimea) that belongs to all of the people of Ukraine. The illegal Aksyonov referendum cleverly ensured the same result (annexation by Russia) no matter which of the two referendum choices was ticked. The only material difference was in time-frame.
The Russian military invasions of Crimea and Donbas violate over a dozen treaties and documents duly signed by the Soviet Union/Russian Federation:
■ United Nations Charter (1945)
■ On Transfer of Crimean Region from the RSFSR to the Ukrainian SSR (USSR Supreme Soviet Presidium - February/April 1954)
■ Helsinki Accords (1975)
■ 1977 Soviet Constitution (Brezhnev Constitution)
■ Declaration № 142-Н of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union (1991)
■ Belavezha Accords (Creation Agreement) (1991)
■ Agreement on Establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States (1991)
■ Alma-Ata Protocol (1991)
■ Joint Russo-Ukrainian Black Sea Fleet Agreement (1992)
■ Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances (1994)
■ The Partition Treaty on the Status and Conditions of the Black Sea Fleet (1997)
- Article 6 - "Russian military units shall conduct their operations and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, obey its legislation and refrain from interference with Ukraine’s domestic affairs."
- Article 8 - Military units shall conduct exercise and other combat and operative training within the limits of training centers, training areas, positioning and dispersal areas, firing ranges, and, except forbidden zones, within the designated airspace as agreed with Ukraine’s competent authorities."
■ Russian-Ukrainian Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Partnership (1997)
- Article 2 - Reaffirmed “the inviolability of the existing borders”
- Article 3 - "The High Contracting Parties shall build their relations on the basis of principles of mutual respect of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-use of force or threat of force, including economic and other forms of pressure, non-interference into internal affairs."
- Article 6 - "Either of the High Contracting Parties shall abstain from participation in or the support of any actions whatsoever which are directed against the other High Contracting Party, and obligates itself not to conclude with third countries any treaties whatsoever that are directed against the other Party. Neither Party shall also allow that its territory be used to the detriment of the security of the other Party."
- Article 15 - "Movements related to activities of military units outside of their areas of disposition shall take place following an approval by Ukraine’s competent authorities."
■ Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Use of Airspace of Ukraine and of Airspace Over the Black Sea (1999)
■ Agreement between Ukraine and Russia on the Black Sea Fleet in Ukraine (Kharkiv Pact - 2010)
- This agreement expanded the length of the Russian lease of its Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol until 2047. It maintained the $98 million in rent Russia paid to Ukraine annually, and Russia also agreed to sell gas to Ukraine at a discount price.
In March of 2014, the United Nations General Assembly rejected the Russian annexation of Crimea adopting a resolution affirming the "territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders". The resolution also underscores that the referendum in Crimea, having no validity, cannot form the basis for any alteration of the status of Crimea. The resolution draws attention to the obligation of all States and international organizations not to recognize or to imply the recognition of Russia's annexation.
■ United Nations General Assembly Resolution 68/262 (2014)
General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling upon States Not to Recognize Changes in Status of Crimea Region