Ukraine today took another demonstrative step towards breaking off relations with the country that has occupied 7% of its territory — Putin’s Russia (formerly known as the Russian Federation).
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has made a decision to terminate the Memorandum between the Governments of the two states dated 12.07.2012 «On Cooperation in the Fight against Terrorism». For a number of our readers who have found refuge in Ukraine from persecution in Putin’s Russia, this will be pleasant news, as this memorandum was supposed to involve the parties «exchange of information on terrorist organizations», «exchange of information on the sources of financing of terrorist organizations», «exchange of information on the results of investigation of criminal cases related to terrorist activities and the developed methodological recommendations in this regard», etc.
However, it should be noted that Russia has included in its list of terrorist organizations those which operate legally in Ukraine and many civilized countries. Moreover, their supporters in Ukraine make up a significant part of its Islamic community, which has no problems with the state and society.
Nevertheless, this news is more of a «small joy» than a cause for celebration. After all, the Memorandum of Understanding to be terminated clearly states that it «does not affect issues of extradition and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters». «Cooperation» in this regard, i.e. Ukraine’s extradition of Russian citizens wanted by Russia, is carried out on the basis of other international legal instruments — both a bilateral agreement between the Prosecutor’s Offices of the two countries on legal assistance and cooperation dated 21.05.1993, as well as the European Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, to which both countries are party and which obliges them to carry out such extraditions. The same applies to the participation of both states in the International Criminal Police Organization Interpol.
Therefore, our readers who hope that Ukraine will stop extraditing its citizens to Russia will only be able to breathe a sigh of relief if the former terminates the relevant bilateral agreements with the latter and suspends the implementation of multilateral agreements involving both countries. Let’s hope that today’s decision by the Ukrainian government is a step in that direction.