1.  UN Human Rights Council discussed the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea and other regions of Ukraine affected by the Russian aggression.

On March 21, 2018 at the 37^th session of the UN Human Rights Council, in pursuance of its resolution "Cooperation and Assistance to Ukraine in the Field of Human Rights", an interactive dialogue on Ukraine took place, during which the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights K.Gilmore introduced a regular 21^st Report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the human rights situation in our country.

28 delegations from the UN Member States took part in the discussion, as well as the delegations of the EU and the Council of Europe, and a number of non-governmental organizations.

S.Kyslytsya, Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, who headed the Ukrainian delegation at the event, stressed the need for decisive action by OHCHR and the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine in order to ensure the implementation of the UN General Assembly resolutions on Ukraine.

It was underlined that organizing and holding the illegal voting in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol represented another step forward by the Kremlin in its attempt to legitimize the consequences of its aggression against Ukraine and blatant violation of the fundamental norms and principles of the international law, Russia’s obligations under the international agreements between Ukraine and Russia, Ukrainian national legislation, as well as against the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the UN General Assembly resolutions on Crimea. S.Kyslytsya stressed that the results of such elections were null and void, had no legal consequences, and would not be recognized by either Ukraine, or the international community.

The head of the Ukrainian delegation especially emphasized the unacceptability of moralizing human rights from criminals who kill and poison their own citizens, kill thousands of people in neighboring states, bomb hospitals in distant countries.

The Ukrainian diplomat also informed the UN Human Rights Council about the educational reform in our country, in particular the situation surrounding the Law of Ukraine "On Education". In this regard, it was emphasized that by cooperating on a bilateral level with our partners who are demonstrating a constructive approach, the Ukrainian side managed to achieve progress in addressing existing problems, in particular with Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. At the same time, the Ukrainian side stressed that it would not accept politically motivated and groundless demands in this matter.

Deputy Minister confirmed the willingness of Ukraine to continue providing full support to the work of the Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine and to cooperate with the Mission on the basis of its mandate.

The overwhelming majority of delegations expressed their concern about the ongoing difficult human rights situation in the occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Donetsk and Luhansk regions; noted the importance of implementing the Minsk Agreements, resolutions of the UN General Assembly 68/262, 71/205 and 72/190, granting the UN human rights mechanisms the access to the whole territory of Ukraine; underscored the illegality of the Russian presidential elections in the temporarily occupied territory of the peninsula.

 

2. Actual situation in the ATO area.

 

The Russia-backed militants made 14 precision attacks upon the Ukrainian troops’ positions.

Ukrainian troops did not return fire.

The situation was the most anxious near Luhanske, Troitske, Stanytsia Luhanska, Pisky, Avdiivka, Novohryhorivka, Opytne.

 

Unfortunately,  3 Ukrainian servicemen were wounded.