On 18 December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its annual resolution titled “The Human Rights Situation in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol.” Since 2023, the resolution has covered not only occupied Crimea but also other Ukrainian territories seized by Russia. This year, 79 UN Member States voted in favour, while 16 voted against.
The resolution underscores systematic human rights violations in the occupied territories, including the persecution of Crimean Tatars and pressure on pro-Ukrainian activists and journalists. It also condemns actions by the Russian Federation related to the forcible transfer of Ukrainian children, the use of occupied Crimea to wage war, restrictions on the right to education in Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar, and the militarisation of youth. In addition, it notes the persecution of Mejlis leaders and condemns mass detentions on fabricated charges in Crimea and other temporarily occupied territories. This reference is particularly significant because, as of December 2025, the occupying authorities have unlawfully imprisoned 224 people in Crimea, including 133 Crimean Tatars.
The UN calls on Russia to immediately and unconditionally:
- return all unlawfully transferred Ukrainian children;
- end criminal prosecutions of residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine for expressing pro-Ukrainian views or taking pro-Ukrainian actions, including in social media comments or posts;
- ensure that all residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine can exercise the rights to freedom of thought and expression and to peaceful assembly in any form;
- end pressure on the Indigenous Peoples of Ukraine;
- stop the unlawful conscription and mobilisation of residents of the occupied territories of Ukraine into the armed forces of the Russian Federation;
- support the preservation of Ukraine’s cultural heritage sites in the occupied territories, in particular the Khan’s Palace in Bakhchysarai and the site “Ancient City of Tauric Chersonese and its Chora,” and halt illegal archaeological excavations in Crimea.
The resolution also calls on UN Member States to support human rights defenders in the occupied territories of Ukraine and to continue advocacy—both bilaterally and multilaterally—to uphold human rights. It further encourages constructive engagement in coordinated efforts, including within the framework of the International Crimea Platform, aimed at improving the human rights situation.
Ukraine continues its active international efforts to protect the rights of citizens affected by the occupation and to condemn Russia’s criminal actions.