Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk presented a draft law to restore state power in Crimea at a meeting of the Verkhovna Rada’s Defense Committee.

The draft law, entitled “On Amendments to the Law of Ukraine ‘On the Legal Regime of Martial Law’ Regarding the Peculiarities of Restoring Public Authority in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol,” was presented.

This legislative initiative aims to establish the conditions necessary for the restoration of state authority on the peninsula following the withdrawal of foreign forces, facilitating its integration into Ukraine’s public administration system. It also aims to guarantee the implementation of local government reform, including the creation of new districts, territorial communities, and their governing bodies.

Furthermore, the draft legislation proposes the establishment of the Military Administration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea for the duration of martial law. This body will exercise the powers of the Council of Ministers and the Verkhovna Rada of the AR of Crimea, coordinate and control the activities of lower-level military administrations, and perform several other functions.

The draft law also stipulates the date (February 27, 2014) of the termination of the powers of local self-government bodies, their officials, and civil servants of state bodies that were not relocated from the TOT of the AR of Crimea.

This draft law was developed by the Ministry of Reintegration with representatives from the Office of the President, the Presidential Mission in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Ministry of Infrastructure, and the National Agency for Civil Service. In March of this year, the Cabinet of Ministers provided its support for the project.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, as well as my colleagues who have provided invaluable support in the development of this draft law. This project is about the restoration of Ukrainian authority in Crimea. It is about Crimea, which has been, is, and will continue to be Ukrainian,” the Vice Prime Minister stated.