The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted a decision recognizing the Russian-occupied areas in eastern Ukraine as "effectively controlled" by Russia.
While considering a resolution on Ukraine, PACE nearly unanimously supported two amendments stating that the uncontrolled areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine (also known as the "DPR" and "LPR," or "ORDLO") are "territories under effective control by the Russian Federation," the Ukrainian news outlet Yevropeiska Pravda reported.
Previously, the document used the notions "government-controlled and non government-controlled territories."
The final wording of the resolution does not mention the ORDLO as "occupied terriitory" – the amendments were changed at the last moment to "effectively controlled."
PACE Vice President Volodymyr Ariev wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, April 24, to comment the event: "It's a victory! An important amendment proposed by the Ukrainian delegation to PACE was adopted in the report 'State of emergency: proportionality issues concerning derogations under Article 15 of the European Convention on Human Rights,' and the Assembly voted to recognize the actual occupation (effective control) by Russia of part of Donbas! Fairy tales about coal miners, tractor drivers and post exchanges are no longer part of international documents."
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As UNIAN reported earlier, Ariev said on April 23 PACE had rejected Ukraine's request to hold an urgent debate over the illegal election of the Russian president in occupied Crimea and other aspects of Russian policy.
