Ukraine to halt all trade with occupied Crimea

The Ukrainian government has banned movement of goods and services to and from the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, except for the transportation of personal belongings of citizens and humanitarian aid, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said at a government meeting.

"I want to start with the most important decision. The decision to limit the supplies of goods and services to the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, which is the Ukrainian territory temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation; and, accordingly, [supplies] from Crimea.," said Yatsenyuk.

"The decree of the Cabinet of Ministers prohibits the deliveries of work, goods and services through all customs regimes from Crimea to the territory of Ukraine, as well as from the Ukrainian territory to Crimea, with the exception of personal belongings, socially important goods and humanitarian aid," Arseniy Yatsenyuk said.

The decision shall enter into force in 30 days, the prime minister noted.

In addition, Yasenyuk said, power supplies to Crimea shall be determined by a special decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

As UNIAN reported earlier, in late November, the Ukrainian government introduced upon submission of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk a temporary ban on the movement of cargo at the administrative border between Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. Simultaneously, the Cabinet began developing a specific list of goods and services that could be supplied to Crimea.

Earlier, proposals to suspend freight transportation by road and by rail to Crimea were voiced by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. He proposed the immediate establishment of an ad hoc group to address freight transportation and trade with temporarily occupied Crimea. He said this was needed amid escalated civil activists' demands for a halt to trade with the occupied peninsula and the occupying authorities of Crimea. A series of criminal cases against the initiators of Crimea's trade blockade have been opened already. The activists insist on full termination of trade relations with the occupied territory. The rally to block trade with Crimea began on September 20, 2015.