DISINFO: Hague court sides with Russia on Crimea's legal status
SUMMARY
The decision by the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration takes into consideration that Ukraine’s maritime lawsuit against Russia is an attempt to prove Kyiv’s nonexistent sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula.
The Russian Federation is satisfied [by the fact] that the adopted decision takes into account Russia’s key argument that there is an attempt to prove Ukraine’s nonexistent sovereignty over Crimea behind this lawsuit.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative on Crimea.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) could not and did not support Russia's "argument" regarding Crimea or, for that matter, any other argument concerning dry land. Given that the case was commenced under the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention, any disputes over land territory will automatically fall outside the scope of these proceedings, as confirmed by an earlier PCA ruling (p. 1, para 5).
In a statement to the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Court refrained from adopting a stance on the legal status of Crimea, "given that it lacks the jurisdiction to rule on issues of sovereignty over the peninsula." The statement also "makes clear that the [Court's] recognition of the existence of a dispute regarding the territorial status of Crimea in no way implies the [Court's] recognition of any changes to that status."