Right for self-determination of peoples of the Russian Federation, condemnation of the annexation, and Fund for liquidating the consequences of the aggression

10 October 2022
Right for self-determination of peoples of the Russian Federation, condemnation of the annexation, and Fund for liquidating the consequences of the aggression
Home > Monitoring > Right for self-determination of peoples of the Russian Federation, condemnation of the annexation, and Fund for liquidating the consequences of the aggression

The Verkhovna Rada condoned the Russian attempt at the annexation of a part of the territory of Ukraine, supported the right for self-determination for indigenous people of the Russian Federation, and created the Fund for liquidating the consequences of the armed aggression.

Declaration of the Verkhovna Rada concerning the attempt at the annexation of a part of the territory of Ukraine 

Draft resolution of the Verkhovna Rada # 8091 of October 3, 2022 

Decision-maker: the Verkhovna Rada

Status: the resolution has been adopted

Who is affected: inhabitants of Ukraine and the international community

Summary of the resolution: 

  • the Verkhovna Rada declares pseudo-referenda on the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and all Russian decisions regarding the attempts of the annexation of these territories to be acts of crime
  • the Verkhovna Rada addresses the UN, EU, NATO, parliaments, and governments of all countries with the following requests:
    • to condone and not recognize fake referenda and all other attempts at the annexation of a part of the territory of Ukraine
    • to strengthen sanction pressure against Russia and its officials in order to stop the armed aggression against Ukraine
    • to recognize the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism and apply necessary sanctions against it, including the embargo on energy sources trade and SWIFT ban for all financial institutions of the Russian Federation
    • to increase the volume of military aid to Ukraine, including offensive weapons
    • to support the Ukrainian initiative on the creation of a special criminal tribunal to investigate the aggression crimes
    • to create mechanisms to compensate for damage caused by the Russian armed aggression
    • to support the suspension of the Russian Federation as a permanent member of the UN Security Council
    • to support fast-track accession of Ukraine to the EU and NATO.

What is right: the resolution is a political statement denouncing the legalization of attempts at the annexation of a part of the Ukrainian territory. It also highlights the necessity to increase support for Ukraine and to punish the Russian Federation for armed aggression.

Declaration of the Verkhovna Rada about the support of the right for self-determination of peoples of the Russian Federation 

Draft resolution of the Verkhovna Rada # 8105 of October 5, 2022 

Decision-maker: the Verkhovna Rada

Status: the resolution has been adopted

Who is affected: government bodies of Ukraine, the international community, and the peoples of the Russian Federation

Summary of the resolution:  

  • the Verkhovna Rada supports the unalienable right of the peoples of the Russian Federation for self-determination
  • the Verkhovna Rada calls for the international community to take measures in order to:
    • stop persecution by the Russian regime of leaders and members of the national liberation movements of the peoples of the Russian Federation
    • stop deportation and internal displacement of peoples of the Russian Federation aimed at changing the ethnic composition of regions of the Russian Federation
  • the Verkhovna Rada calls for the UN, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and other international organization to steadfastly support the right for self-determination of peoples of Russia and support Ukraine in the war in order to continue the deimperialization of the Russian Federation and liberation of the subjugated peoples.

What is right: the liberation of the peoples of the Russian Federation and liquidation of Russian imperialism is in line with the long-term security interests of Ukraine.

Fund for liquidating consequences of the armed aggression 

Draft bill # 8027 of September 21, 2022 

Cosponsors: a group of MPs

Status: adopted in the first reading

Who is affected: inhabitants of Ukraine who suffered from the armed aggression, the Cabinet, and the Budget Committee of the Verkhovna Rada

Summary of the bill: the following amendments are proposed to the Law on the Government Budget of Ukraine in 2022:

  • assets owned by the Russian Federation and its residents that Ukraine confiscates will be sold under the procedure developed by the Cabinet
  • the Fund for liquidating the consequences of the armed aggression will be created
  • the sources of revenue of the Fund will be money received from the confiscation of assets owned by the Russian Federation and its residents
  • the Cabinet will have the power to pass decisions on how to use the money after confirmation from the parliamentary Budget Committee
  • money from the Fund will be used for:
    • construction, reconstruction, and repairs of public buildings, civil defense buildings, objects of critical infrastructure required for heat and water supply, and buildings required for providing accommodation for IDPs
    • development of project and budget documentation required for the restoration of buildings destroyed as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation
    • procurement of school buses, special-purpose vehicles for healthcare establishments, and communal enterprises working on municipal improvements.

What is right: 

  • the resolution defines how to spend the money received from selling confiscated assets of the Russian Federation
  • significant financial resources will be used to solve social and public problems caused by the war
  • primary education in rural areas, medical aid, and basic public utilities will become more accessible.

What is wrong: 

  • the part about the Budget Committee approving the allotment of money from the Fund to particular purposes is unconstitutional since parliamentary committees do not have independent powers.

Alternative solution: 

  • approval on how the money is going to be used should be considered by the Verkhovna Rada, not the Committee. Such a procedure will make the bill constitutional and decrease the risk of misuse which is very high if a significant amount of money will be allocated without a sufficiently transparent procedure.