Now dissidents are routinely abducted and tried in kangaroo courts. 60,000 former Crimean residents have been internally displaced to mainland Ukraine. The main representative body of Crimean Tatars, called the Mejlis, which fully supports Ukraine, has been banned by Russia. The human rights situation on the Crimean peninsula is so poor that Australia and over 20 countries co-sponsored very important UN GA resolutions: ‘Situation of human rights in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, Ukraine.’

Russia’s occupation of the Crimean peninsula has resulted in a militarization of the region and violation of basic principles of freedom of navigation.

Ukraine treated its Crimean region as a resort, but Russia treats it as a military base. Russia has introduced to the

peninsula a tremendous amount of weaponry, which poses a danger to the whole Black sea region. Russia built a bridge to the occupied peninsula and then used it as a barrier, firing on and seizing Ukrainian sailors and warships that were navigating in international waters.

All the world’s main democracies, which understand the dangerous precedent set by such lawless piracy, including Australia, have imposed sanctions on Russia, and UN GA resolution 73/194 expresses “grave concern over the progressive militarization of Crimea”, condemning Moscow’s building of the Kerch Bridge and the recent attacks on Ukrainian ships in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov.

We cannot forget that the Russian occupation of the Crimean peninsula was the prelude to a broader campaign of aggression that includes Russia’s invasion of eastern Ukraine, using both its regulars and mercenaries, which has killed almost 13,000 Ukrainians and 298 international passengers on flight MH17, including 38 Australians, who were shot down by a Russian military missile.