We have to draw attention of the world community due to the policy currently carried out by the leadership of the Russian Federation purposefully aiming to escalate its military aggression against Ukraine. This time, the issue is another cunning provocation related to unfounded accusations against Ukraine of alleged plotting several terrorist attacks on the territory of the Russia-annexed Crimea, which is an integral part of the Ukrainian state and is currently occupied by Russia.
Respective Ukrainian bodies of state power have refuted general information, whereas the Russian side has not provided any solid evidence to the events Ukraine is accused of. Moreover, Russian special forces committed another crime having kidnapped a citizen of Ukraine in order to concoct evidence of his alleged "crimes."
Against this background, it stands to mention that Russia continues holding over 40 Ukrainian political prisoners-victims of the aggressive policy of the official Kremlin. Intentional escalation, breaching of the Minsk accords by the Russian Federation, intensified shelling from prohibited types of weapons, which is confirmed by the Special Monitoring Mission of the OSCE, accumulation of offensive forces along the whole confrontation line and near the border with Ukraine, hostile statements by the Russian high-ranking officials and their proxies on the occupied territories of Ukraine over the last month, do indicate nothing more but Russian leadership's unwillingness to abandon the idea of carry out further naked military aggression against Ukraine.
The Russian leadership is looking for reasons to quit the Normandy Format negotiations and ruin the Minsk process. As far as Ukraine does not provide such reasons, the aggressor has to create them by itself.
Currently the occupant country is looking for the ways to shift all responsibility for its destructive activity on Ukraine and its international partners. Besides, it creates artificial preconditions to further escalate the military confrontation.
We are confident that such actions of the Russian leadership are of direct threat not only to Ukraine, but also to Europe and the whole world. Jointly we have to do our diplomatic best to disrupt hostile plans of the Kremlin and to resume gradual implementation of the Minsk accords.
Taking the provocative actions of the Russian leadership into consideration we call on our colleagues to immediately take all possible political and diplomatic measures to influence the Kremlin, prevent new escalation in Ukraine and complete disruption of the Minsk process by the Kremlin.
First Deputy Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada
IRYNA HERASCHENKO
First Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on European Integration
MARIYA IONOVA
Chairperson of Committee on Foreign Affairs
HANNA HOPKO