Russia obliged to let UN into Donbas to assess real situation with COVID-19 - EP deputy

As an occupier country, Russia is obliged to provide access to the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas for the United Nations representatives to assess the situation with the spread of coronavirus pandemic. This was stated by member of the European Parliament Rasa Juknevičienė in the commentary to Guildhall.

"Such closed territories as the occupied Crimea and Donbas have more problems with such challenges as the coronavirus pandemic. Ukraine can initiate the UN presence, in particular, the presence of representatives of the World Health Organization, in the occupied territories to assess the real situation with the spread of pandemic and human morbidity", - the politician stated.

"As an occupier country, Russia is obliged to provide the UN access to the occupied territories after the appropriate permission from Ukraine. According to the norms of international law, it is Russia that is responsible for pandemic in the occupied territories", - Rasa Juknevičienė added.

As previously reported, the European Parliament threatens Russia with new sanctions for inaction during the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas, and also considers it necessary to raise the issue of Russia's responsibility at the UN level. MEP Andrius Kubilius stated that the international community needed to increase diplomatic pressure on the Russian Federation in order to stop the COVID-19 pandemic in the occupied territories of Ukraine, since the Russian Federation bears international legal responsibility for this as an occupier country. It was also reported earlier that the Verkhovna Rada deputies from the Servant of the People party blamed Russia for the sanitary catastrophe in the Donbas and Crimea, and believed that the facts of Russia's inaction in the issue of stopping the pandemic may become the matter of contention in international institutions.