First assessments of Ukraine's losses after annexation of Crimea could be presented next week, says justice minister
Ukraine is preparing claims to lodge in international courts against Russia on refunding damage from the loss of property in Crimea, Ukrainian Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko has said.
"The Justice Ministry is preparing additional materials for the claims on Crimea for the international courts. I hope that next week we'll have first expert assessments of our losses in Crimea," Petrenko said at a press conference on Thursday.
He said that the claims would include damages from the loss of the property of the Energy and Coal Industry Ministry of Ukraine, in particular, the shelf of the Black Sea, Chornomornaftogaz company, as well as the losses of the Infrastructure Ministry – railways, property, roads, ships, planes which were left on the territory of Crimea.
This will also include damages caused to the State Department of Affairs in part of the loss of recreation facilities and facilities of cultural inheritance.
"We'll receive the market value for the first block of property and we'll be able to formulate the claim to demand refunding of damage by Russia for illegal actions they committed on the territory of Crimea. The issue of the future court hearing of the cases is rather positive for Ukraine, in my opinion," the minister said.
He noted that all international structures had declared that Russia's actions are illegal.
"Russia was declared an aggressor, which committed the annexation of a part of a neighboring state on the territory of Europe. We have the first verdict of the European Court of Human Rights, which made a decision to declare the actions of Russia illegal in the very short period of time, during several hours, and obliged the country to withdraw its army," Petrenko said.
"Of course, Russia ignored the decision, but in line with the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, according to the regulations of the Council of Europe, the fact of the non-fulfillment of the decision gives all grounds to receive compensation in full by the affected party," he said.
The minister also said that Ukraine is working on the possibility of filing claims regarding Naftogaz Ukrainy and the issues of the non-observation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine to other international courts.
The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution supporting the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
"This decision is a very serious one from the point of view of proofs which Ukraine uses to receive the refunding of damage done by Russia," Petrenko said.
