Russia Must Answer for Crimes in Crimea, Zelensky Says

International order cannot fully recover until Ukraine restores its sovereignty over Crimea – the peninsula Russia illegally annexed in 2014, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, urging Western allies to hold the Kremlin accountable for its crimes.Zelensky delivered the message at the sixth international Crimea Platform summit in New York, held alongside the high-level segment of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday, Sept. 23.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.“There can be no full return to normality without Crimea, without restoring security, protecting people and lives, freeing the prisoners Russia is holding and returning to the basic principles of international law,” Zelensky said.“Territorial integrity matters, the sovereignty of states matters,” he continued.Holding Russia accountable remains crucialRussia’s violation of international norms began with its seizure of Crimea in 2014, which became a starting point of the wider confrontation now affecting Ukraine, the Black Sea and overall global security.“We want international law to have real force. We want Russia, which started this war and is stealing the land, to be held responsible,” Zelensky said, speaking about Ukrainian citizens living under Russian occupation in Crimea, parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions and Donbas, and those held in Russian prisons and camps.Largest turnout in 6 yearsThis year’s summit drew more than 60 participants, including 16 leaders from every continent. For the first time, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago took part. Other Topics of Interest Russian Strike on Kyiv on Sept. 23: Legendary ‘Puck’ Gutted by Fire The Russian strike on the capital left a burned-out shell of the modernist Zaliznychnyi Market. Photos from the scene. The president described the Crimea Platform as an enduring diplomatic mechanism rather than a symbolic annual gathering.The initiative was established as an international consultation and coordination format intended to strengthen the global response to Russia’s occupation and support the restoration of Ukraine’s control over the peninsula in accordance with international law.It works on maintaining the policy of nonrecognition of Russia’s occupation, defending human rights on the peninsula and coordinating pressure on the Kremlin.Wednesday’s summit placed particular emphasis on systematic rights violations and the militarization of occupied territories, including the influence of Russian policies on young people and education.As of Sept. 1, Russia further expanded military training for children, including in occupied Ukrainian territories, and raised the share of mandatory instruction to 50% of school time.Human right groups warned that the program, planned through 2036, targets both boys and girls to build a future mobilization reserve, while the First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Viktor Vodolatsky, called for mandatory military training to begin in fifth grade on June 22.“Let them prepare, but the outcome is inevitable,” he said, citing 2030 as a “relevant milestone” for Russia to attack NATO.Black Sea security remains a problemZelensky connected the ongoing security crisis in the Black Sea to Crimea’s occupation. He said Russia’s transformation of the peninsula into a military base had affected freedom of navigation, food security and energy security.Ukraine is prepared to take steps to protect shipping and food supplies in the region should Russia demonstrate a genuine willingness to pursue reciprocal de-escalation.During a meeting with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Sept. 22, Zelensky offered another reciprocal energy ceasefire – in this case, on the power grid Ukraine expects Russia to target in the upcoming winter, alongside water supplies.Although Ukraine consistently calls for the war to end, Russian President Vladimir Putin continues rejecting requests for direct meetings, while oftentimes rejecting and mocking such proposals, deeming them as “pointless.”Zelensky’s UN scheduleAside from the Crimea Platform, Zelensky is expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey, as well as with NATO secretary general and US policy experts.He is also scheduled to attend a UN Security Council meeting on maintaining peace and security in Ukraine at 11 a.m. local New York time (Kyiv’s 6 p.m.), before addressing the UNGA’s general debate at about 2 p.m. local time (6 p.m. Kyiv time), according to Ukrinform. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.