The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine has demanded that the Kremlin let out all the citizens of Ukraine who are illegally detained or sentenced in the territory of Crimea, Russia and the occupied areas of Donbas.
"The aggressor state continues to ignore its obligations under the Minsk agreements on the exchange of hostages and illegally detained persons on the "all for all" principle. While six prisoners have returned to Ukraine, their number has not decreased, but rather increased. We are aware of politically motivated detention of at least 17 Ukrainians in the territory of the occupier. Even more of our compatriots have been wrongly arrested and being detained in the occupied Crimean peninsula. More than a hundred of Ukrainians are contained in appalling conditions by Russian-terrorist forces in the occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk regions," Foreign Ministry said a release on 29 December.
The release, in particular, mentions the names of Oleh Sentsov, Oleksandr Kolchenko, Ahtem Chiygoz, Roman Sushchenko, Mykola Karpyuk, Ferat Sayfullayev, Serhiy Litvinov, Oleksiy Chirniy, Ruslan Zeytullayev, Stanislav Klykh, Valentyn Vyhovskyy, Yuriy Prymov, Viktor Shchur, Oleksandr Kostenko, Yevhen Panov, Rustem Vaitov, Enver Bekirov, Emir Usein Kuku, Vadym Siruk, Muslim Aliyev, Refat Alimov, Enver Mamutov, Arsen Dzhepparov, Remzi Memetov, Mustafa Degermendzhi, Zevri Abseitov, Rustem Abiltarov, Ali Asanov, Andriy Kolomiyets, Volodymyr Balukh, Teymur Abdullayev, Uzair Abdullayev, Eider Saledinov, Volodymyr Prysich, Oleksiy Shtyblikova, Oleksiy Bessarab, Volodymyr Dudka, Oleksiy Stohniy, Hlob Shabliy, Leonid Parkhomenko, Redvan Suleymanov, Emil Dzhemadenov, Rustem Ismailov, Mykola Shiptur.
Two more Ukrainian citizens - Ilmi Umerov and Mykola Semena- are not in jail, but are persecuted by the occupying authorities of Crimea.
"Ukraine's Foreign Ministry calls on the Russian Federation to immediately and without any additional conditions release all illegally detained citizens of Ukraine, stop the practice of political persecution and repression of our fellow countrymen," the ministry said.
On 19 December, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on "The human rights situation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol (Ukraine)." It condemns the massive human rights violations in the occupied Crimea, and calls on Russia as an occupying state to adhere to its obligations under international law.