March 16th, 2026 marks twelve years since Russia staged bogus referendums on the annexation of Ukrainian territories to the Russian Federation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
The illegitimate referendums initiated Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine with the aim of destroying Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, which escalated into a full-scale war of aggression on February 24, 2022.
The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked the shameful anniversary with a statement saying:
“Latvia does not recognize these illegal developments or their results and condemns in the strongest terms this unlawful action by Russia, which is a gross violation of international law, including the UN Charter, and poses a direct threat to international peace and stability.
“Latvia also categorically condemns Russia’s unprovoked military aggression and the ongoing violations of international law and human rights in Ukraine, including regular attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, as well as the forcible transfer and deportation of Ukrainian civilians, including children, to Russia and the temporarily occupied territories, and the persecution and discrimination of Ukrainians and local Crimean Tatars.
“Latvia will never recognize Russia’s attempts to legitimize the occupation or annexation of Ukrainian territories. The territories of Ukraine temporarily occupied and illegally annexed by Russia, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, as well as parts of the Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhia regions, belong to the sovereign and territorially indivisible state of Ukraine.”
Russia, as an aggressor state, must compensate for all the losses it has caused to Ukraine and be fully responsible for its aggression and violations of international law, said the statement, adding that Latvia will “continue to provide Ukraine with comprehensive and long-term military and non-military support.”
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