Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine A/RES/73/263 Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol and to refrain from any action or dealing that might be interpreted as recognizing any such altered status, Recalling further its resolutions 71/205 of 19 December 2016 and 72/190 of 19 December 2017 on the situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, and relevant decisions of international organizations, specialized agencies and bodies within the United Nations system, Concerned that the provisions of those resolutions and relevant decisions of international organizations, specialized agencies and bodies within the United Nations system have not been implemented by the Russian Federation, Condemning the ongoing temporary occupation of part of the territory of Ukraine – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol (hereinafter “Crimea”) – by the Russian Federation, and reaffirming the non-recognition of its annexation, Affirming that the seizure of Crimea by force is illegal and a violation of international law, and affirming also that those territories mu st be returned, Supporting the commitment by Ukraine to adhering to international law in its efforts to put an end to the Russian occupation of Crimea, and welcoming the commitments by Ukraine to protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, Reaffirming the obligation of States to ensure that persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities may exercise fully and effectively all human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination and in full equality before the law, Welcoming the reports of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights situation in Ukraine, of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, and of the human rights ass essment mission of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in which they stated that violations and abuses of human rights continued to take place in Crimea and pointed to the sharp deterioration of the overall human rights situation, Welcoming also the reports of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the situation of human rights in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine, submitted pursuant to resolutions 71/205 4 and 72/190, 5 Reaffirming its grave concern that the human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine continues to be denied access to Crimea, despite its existing mandate, which covers the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, Condemning the imposition and retroactive application of the legal system of the Russian Federation, and its negative impact on the human rights situation in Crimea, the imposition of automatic Russian citizenship on protected persons in Crimea, which is contrary to international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions and customary international law, and the deportation and regressive effects on the enjoyment of human rights of those who have rejected that citizenship, __________________ 4 5 2/7 See A/72/498. See A/73/404. 18-22646