The President of Ukraine signed the law on the reintegration of Donbass: its essence

On Tuesday, February 20, President Petro Poroshenko signed a law on the reintegration of Donbass at a meeting of the military office of the NSDC.

Photo: president.gov.ua

Poroshenko noted that February 20 will forever go down in the history of Ukraine as a tragic day, when on February 18-20 the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred defended the country’s right to the future. He added that it was on February 20 that the military aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine began, writes “Columnist«.

“It started with the illegal annexation of Crimea, and they even minted medals with the date February 20. And one should not think that the goal of the Russian Federation was Crimea or the East of our state. I am sure that the whole of Ukraine is, was and remains the target,” Poroshenko said.

He stressed that in this law, Ukraine qualifies Russia as an aggressor state.

“This law legally defines that it was the Russian Federation that occupied our territories. This law significantly strengthens the legal basis for the use of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other security forces for the defense of our state,” Poroshenko noted.

“This law enshrines our right to self-defense in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter,” the president added.

Who determines the boundaries of the occupation

Borders and the list of temporarily occupied settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions will be determined by the President of Ukraine on the proposal of the Ministry of Defense and on the basis of the proposals of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This provision partially contradicts the provisions of the Constitution, which does not provide for such powers of the president.

From what point will the countdown start the occupation

This is one of the most controversial moments of the document. The bill does not indicate the exact date of occupation of certain territories in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The document has only a reference rate to the law on the Crimea.

Who is responsible for the damage during the occupation

The draft law unequivocally places all responsibility for moral and material damage caused to Ukraine to the Russian Federation. The bad news is that neither the period, nor the conditions for causing such damage, nor the territory in which it happened is specified in the draft law.

At the same time, persons taking part in the armed aggression of the Russian Federation or involved in the work of the occupation administrations are criminally responsible for acts that violate the laws of Ukraine and the norms of international humanitarian law.

About the order of crossing the line of delimitation

The procedure for the movement of persons and goods from / to the occupied territories shall be established by the Cabinet of Ministers. But these norms can be completely ignored by the commander of the combined forces.

Who will be the main ATO zone

The commander of the combined forces through the Joint Operational Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will manage all forces and means of all military formations, including the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Police, etc. against the aggression of the Russian Federation directly in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. The commander of the combined forces and his powers will be determined by the president of Ukraine. And theoretically it is contrary to Art. 106 Constitution, according to which the powers of the President of Ukraine can be determined only by the Constitution of Ukraine.

February 20 in Kiev noted the fourth anniversary of the shooting of Euromaidan activists during the Revolution of Dignity in 2014.

Immediately after the revolution, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia began. For four years of confrontation, according to the portal Ukraine's Cultural Diplomacy by MFA, about 11 000 Ukrainians died, more than 25000 were injured, almost 2 million people were forced to leave their homes.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Ukraine celebrated the fourth anniversary of the shooting on the Maidan: photo essay

For the anniversary of the Revolution of Dignity, the United States called on the Ukrainian authorities to fulfill the promises of the Maidan

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