Rada Adopts Law To Ensure Sovereignty Over Donbas

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted the bill No. 7163 On Specifics Of State Policy On Restoration Of State Sovereignty Of Ukraine Over Temporarily Occupied Territories Of Donetsk And Luhansk Regions.

A total of 280 parliamentary members backed respective bill No. 7163 in principle, when 226 votes enough to pass the decision, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.

In particular, respective bill was supported by a total of 123 MP from the Petro Poroshenko Bloc parliamentary faction; 76 MPs from the People's Front parliamentary faction, 22 MPs from the Samopomich Association parliamentary faction, 17 MPs from the faction of the Radical Party of Oleh Liashko, 15 parliamentary members from the Batkivschyna All-Ukrainian Association parliamentary faction, 10 MPs from the Will of People parliamentary group, 16 non-affiliated members of the Ukrainian Parliament and by one MP from the Vidrodzhennia Party parliamentary group.

The Opposition bloc faction gave no voted in support of the bill.

The law will take effect on the day following its promulgation.

By adopting the bill, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the decision of President Petro Poroshenko (pursuant to the Constitution of Ukraine) to use the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military units to deter and counteract military aggression of the Russian Federation in Donbas to ensure state sovereignty over the occupied territories.

In compliance with the law, in compliance with the start of implementation of measures it envisions the anti-terrorist operation can be ceased in order to ensure national security and defense.

The law says that the fact of final withdrawal from and total absence of all Russian armed units in Donbas is designated by defense and interior affairs ministers through their joint recommendations to the President of Ukraine, who takes his decision only under such recommendations.

The preamble of the law call the Russian Federation an occupant state and defines the Russian Federation's administration and Russian state bodies as occupational.

The law determines the parts of Ukrainian territory controlled by the armed units of the Russian Federation and occupational administration as occupied territories in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The borders and the list of such territories will be determined by the President of Ukraine following respective recommendations from the Ministry of Defense drafted on the basis of recommendations of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In compliance with the law, temporary occupation of Donbas by the Russian Federation is illegal despite its length and gives Russia no territorial rights.

According to the law, Ukraine is not responsible for illegal actions and decision of the Russian Federation and occupational administration in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas.

At the same time, responsibility for material and other losses caused to Ukraine is placed on the Russian Federation.

Pursuant to the law, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is urged to take necessity measures to establish an interagency steering body to draft a consolidated claim of Ukraine against the Russian Federation regarding the implementation of the international-legal responsibility for the military aggression against Ukraine.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, President Petro Poroshenko calls reintegration of occupied territories through a peaceful and political-diplomatic way the major signal of the law on restoration of sovereignty over Donbas.