No legal mechanisms for returning Crimea to Ukraine, says expert

There are no legal mechanisms for returning the territory of Crimea to Ukraine, and international courts will not impact the settling of the issue in the present situation, Chairman of the Commission Investigating Violations of Human Rights in Ukraine and Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in 2002-2005, Prof. Volodymyr Vasylenko has said.

"Unfortunately, today there are no legal opportunities for returning Crimea to Ukraine," he said at a press conference in Kyiv on March 21.

He said that the consent of the two parties is required to hear the dispute in the International Court of Justice.

"Russia believes that its actions are fair, and it will not agree to hear it [in the international court]," he said.

As for International Criminal Court, the expert said that the hearing of a claim of Ukraine against Russia in this court is impossible, because although Russia signed Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the country has not ratified it, and thus it is not a state-participant of the International Criminal Court.

The expert said that the settling of the issue of returning Crimea to Ukraine in the legal field would be possible when Russian authorities become democratic.

Vasylenko said that at present, the situation regarding the violation of rights of Ukrainians in Crimea should be monitored. The expert said that Ukrainian authorities should urgently take systemic measures to protect human rights.

"The Ukrainian government should launch a systemic monitoring of the situation in Crimea and register violation of human rights and try to help people," Vasylenko said.

The expert expressed confidence that Russia will be punished for its actions.

"Everything that happens in Crimea is an act of armed aggression followed by occupation… Illegal acts cannot entail acts that would be considered legal… Crimea de jure was and remains the territory of Ukraine… Act of armed aggression by Russia is a severe crime and it entails international punishment," he said.

As reported, Ukraine plans to file claims to international courts regarding illegal actions of Russia in Crimea.