Kyiv urges world to increase pressure on Russia to return Crimea

Ukraine has called on the international community to consolidate their efforts in pressuring Russia to leave temporarily occupied Crimea and in compensating losses Moscow inflicted on Ukraine and its citizens.

"We're calling on the international community to pay more attention to occupied Crimea, consolidate the international pressure on Russia for the purpose of its [Russia's] urgent return to the norms of international law, cancellation of all illegal decision that led to the temporary occupation of Ukrainian territory, compensation of losses [Russia] inflicted on Ukraine and its citizens," reads the statement issued by Ukraine's Foreign Ministry to mark one year of Russia's occupation of Crimea, posted on Tuesday.

The ministry said that "by committing this international crime, Russia violated the basic principles of the international law and European order, destroyed the existent balance of power in the region and provoked the largest military crisis with European security since the World War II."

The ministry also said that Russia was purposefully stealing from Ukraine: "Over 400 Ukrainian companies have been illegally nationalized, Ukraine's resources are being used illegally, and 18 gas fields were seized."

The ministry spoke of resentment in the international community over the fact that by occupying Crimea, Russia had brought "an atmosphere of fear, lawlessness and repressions to the peninsula," which first of all had affected Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians, whose human rights are being violated.

However, the ministry said that in spite of the difficult times for Ukrainians in Crimea, Ukraine would do its best to regain control of the peninsula.