23.02.2022

The International Independent Civil Society Platform CivilMPlus, whose mission is to jointly work towards conflict resolution in eastern Ukraine, condemns the decision of the Russian leadership to recognise the independence of the so-called ‘Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics’.

This decision is a gross violation of international law, as well as of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It completely contradicts the commitments made by Russian officials as part of the Minsk agreements. It jeopardises the continuation of the peace negotiations towards conflict resolution at the diplomatic level.

We call on the international community, in particular the member states of the European Union, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and other democratic countries to:

– Immediately respond and enforce the threat of sanctions that have been announced, especially the ones directly related to assets and affecting the economic interests of the Russian political elite outside the Russian Federation.

– Provide full support to Ukraine in the economic and political spheres, as well as ensuring that air corridors between Ukraine and its western neighbours are maintained.

We welcome the German Government’s decision to halt the certification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but this measure is not sufficient, the project must be formally abandoned.

We call on civil society and media representatives to:

– Actively engage in the processes of monitoring human rights violations related to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

– Document the spread of fake information about the situation in and around Ukraine and the armed conflict, including any attempts to discredit or manipulate democratic institutions. This also refers to false interpretations of international norms in order to try to justify the presence of Russian armed forces in Ukraine.

– Identify the presence of the Russian leadership’s assets abroad and work with local state authorities to ensure they are sanctioned.

Preserving people’s lives and guaranteeing their safety is an absolute priority for all involved in the political decision-making process. We call on the parties to the conflict to ensure a humanitarian corridor between the controlled and non-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts to provide the free movement of people and humanitarian goods.

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The text of the statement does not necessarily reflect the position of all CivilMPlus member organisations.

For additional information or media inquiries, please contact Artem Danylchenko, Communications Coordinator – [email protected]

 

The independent international civil society platform CivilMPlus was established in 2017. It includes more than 20 organisations and experts from Ukraine, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Russia and France. Within CivilM+, they contribute to the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Donbas: informing the governments and the public of their countries about the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, implementing projects in the fields of peacekeeping, transitional justice, dialogue and human rights.

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