Draft law declaring 1954 transfer of Crimea to Ukraine "illegal" is submitted to Russian State Duma

A draft law recognising the Soviet authorities’ 1954 decision to return Crimea to Ukraine as "illegal" has been submitted to the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.

Source: Russian media outlets Meduza and Interfax

Details: The draft law proposes that the decision to return Crimea to Ukraine should be deemed "illegal and contrary to the fundamental principles of a lawful state and international law".

Quote: "The decision to transfer Crimea Oblast from the Russian Soviet Federative Social Republic (RSFSR) to the Ukrainian Soviet Republic, adopted in 1954 on the basis of legal acts that had no legal force, in violation of the Constitution of the RSFSR and the Constitution of the USSR, shall be deemed illegal and contrary to the fundamental principles of a lawful state and international law."

Details: Members of the Russian Parliament believe that the transfer of Crimea should be recognised as "illegal" in order to "cut the ground from under the Ukrainian authorities’ propaganda regarding the occupation of Crimea in 2014".

The lawmakers believe that after the 1954 decision has been nullified, it will be "much harder" for Ukraine’s allies to "support [Kyiv’s] intention to take back Crimea".

The draft law’s authors are Russian MP Konstantin Zatulin and Senator Sergei Tsekov from the United Russia party.

Background:

• Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after holding an illegal referendum there.
• The international community, with the exception of a very few countries, continues to regard Crimea as part of Ukraine.

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