The Russian Federation fails to take sufficient measures as an occupying State under the rules of international humanitarian law to protect the life and health of the population of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in the conditions of the spread of acute respiratory illness COVID-19.

Human rights organizations report a lack of overall health care and low coverage of the population with coronavirus diagnostics in temporary occupied territories of Crimea and Donbas.

Occupation administrations in Crimea and Donbas conceal the data about the situation with the disease spread and lower (according to our estimates - at least by 2-2.5 times) “official” statistics concerning the identified COVID-19 cases by making another diagnosis despite the symptoms of coronavirus disease.

International organizations and other independent sources are unable to verify information of the Russian occupation administration about spread of coronavirus disease in Crimea and Donbas.

Both occupation administrations for a long time objected (until 22.04.20 – in temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, until 30.04.20 – the city of Sevastopol and until 5.05.20 – in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea) the lethal cases.

According to the occupation administrations, for the time being (5 May 2020) there are 226 COVID-19 cases acknowledged in Crimea, including 3 deaths, and 162 cases in occupied territories of Luhansk region, including 1 death, 133 – in those of Donetsk region, including 4 deaths.

There is a lack of medical personnel in the temporary occupied territories (and the level of the disease spread among medics is high), medical substances, means of personal protections, sanitizers, and tests, which makes drawing a real picture barely impossible.

While one of the main sources of contamination remains from people travelling to/from Moscow, regular flights and road transportation are still operational from the territory of the Russian Federation to Crimea. Massively organised visits by buses from occupied Donetsk and Luhansk to Russian territory for passportization were reported in April. Russian citizens are exempt from travel ban to occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Restrictions of access for international organisations and humanitarian missions, in particular ICRC, to the temporarily occupied territories deprive population of critical aid and world community – of verified information.

In conditions of the ongoing armed aggression and de-facto closure of the occupied territories of Donbas for the OSCE and UN institutions, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian NGOs, local residents have found themselves in a role of hostages vulnerable to the threat of pandemic.

Members of illegal armed formations continue to restrict the freedom of movement of OSCE SMM observers through the demarcation line, which prevents the mission from fulfilling its mandate. In addition, not counting restrictions on disengagement sites and posed by mines, the freedom of movement of SMM observers was restricted 18 times, all of which happened in the temporarily occupied territories, during 20-26 April. Seventeen of these were restrictions related to the COVID-19 outbreak imposed at checkpoints of the IAFs.

The Russian Federation must provide full and comprehensive access to the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, including the section of the Ukrainian-Russian state border. It is a Russia’s commitment under the Minsk agreements that was reaffirmed at the latest meeting of the Normandy Four leaders on 9 December 2019, but remains unimplemented.

Despite the pandemic, Russia continues to illegally militarize the Crimean Peninsula, which only aggravates the spread of coronavirus infection.

Military units and the security forces of the occupying state continue their exercises, including 9th of May parade rehearsals held until April, combat training, personnel rotation, and economic activities in the temporary occupied areas in Crimea and Donbas, creating more risks of the disease spread among the civil population.

In Crimea, construction sites at the military facilities in the Omega Bay area and Belbek airport became, among others, the infection spread hotspots.

COVID-19 infected servicemen of Russian Southern Military District are sent to hospitals in Crimea.

In flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, this spring, Russia plans to conscript almost 3,300 persons for military service from the territory of the Crimean Peninsula. Most cynically, majority of them are expected to serve beyond the Crimean Peninsula, in Russian territory.

The neglect by the occupying state of the life and health of illegally detained Ukrainian citizens requires the firm international response.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on health security in prisons in Russia and occupied territories may be systemic, posing a serious threat to the health and life of illegally detained Ukrainian citizens.

Russia deliberately ignores the calls of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture for urgent measures to protect the health and safety of persons in detention.

Russia ignores complaints about the poor health of prisoners, even in the presence of symptoms specific to COVID-19. Russia also continues, despite the quarantine measures, to move the detainees from Crimea to the territory of the Russian Federation, and it is done in inhuman and degrading conditions.

Russian Federation must fully guarantee the right to life and access to healthcare for illegally detained Ukrainians provide full and comprehensive access for the monitoring missions, ICRC representatives, and doctors to the population of the temporarily occupied territories for qualified medical examination and treatment.