Tolerance of December 16, 2020 PIC Vote: Senior Partner at Law Firm 'Kushnir, Yakimyak & Partners'

📋 Instance Information

Date:
December 16, 2020
Event:
Institutional tolerance of Oleh Yakimyak's participation in the unanimous PIC vote (15/15) adopting revised Indicators equating Crimea with Russia
Location:
Kyiv, Ukraine
Venue Type:
Official meeting
Severity:
HIGH
Verified:
✓ Yes
Verified Date:
April 26, 2026

🎯 Position at Time of Violation

Position: Senior Partner at Law Firm 'Kushnir, Yakimyak & Partners'

💬 The Statement

"The PIC unanimously adopted revised Indicators that treat travel to, property in, or family connections with occupied Crimea as equivalent to connections with the Russian Federation — formally equating sovereign Ukrainian territory with an aggressor state in official integrity assessments. "

Context: CrimeaWatch analysis of the December 16, 2020 PIC vote and its implications for employer organizations

📄 Full Details

Background#

Law Firm ‘Kushnir, Yakimyak & Partners’ employed Oleh Yakimyak as Senior Partner during their service on the Public Integrity Council (second composition, December 2018 – December 2020).

The Vote#

On December 16, 2020, the PIC unanimously (15/15) adopted revised Indicators of Integrity and Professional Ethics. These Indicators formally equate connections to occupied Crimea — including travel, property ownership, and family ties — with connections to the Russian Federation for purposes of judicial integrity assessment.

Oleh Yakimyak was among the 15 members who cast votes in favor of this decision.

Institutional Tolerance#

Law Firm ‘Kushnir, Yakimyak & Partners’’s continued employment and promotion of Oleh Yakimyak during and after their PIC membership constitutes institutional tolerance of activities that contradict Ukraine’s constitutional framework regarding its territorial integrity.

The organization has not publicly addressed the contradiction between its institutional identity and Oleh Yakimyak’s participation in the adoption of criteria that de facto treat Crimea as Russian territory.

By equating Crimea with Russia in official integrity assessments, the December 16, 2020 Indicators operate on the unstated premise that Crimea is under Russian jurisdiction — directly contradicting Ukraine’s Constitution (Articles 2, 73, 133–134), the Law on the Temporarily Occupied Territory (2014), and UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262 (2014).

🔎 Evidence