The chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council says the upper house of parliament is drafting legislation that would retroactively proclaim the Soviet Union's 1954 transfer of Crimea to Ukraine as “legally void and nonbinding” since the moment of its enactment.
Valentina Matviyenko made the announcement at a December 22 meeting of lawmakers from both chambers of parliament that also was attended by President Vladimir Putin.
Matviyenko said a legal analysis shows the transfer of Crimea to Ukraine under the Soviet leadership of Nikita Khrushchev was “unlawful” and violated the constitution and legal procedures of the time.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March after deploying Russian troops across the peninsula and carrying out an independence referendum that has been condemned around the world as a violation of Ukrainian and international law.
