KYIV. March 20 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada on Thursday passed a bill on legal guarantees of people's rights and freedoms on the occupied territories of Ukraine at the first reading, which defines the status of these territories and liability of "collaborationists."
"Collaborative activities, that is, deliberate and voluntary collaboration in any form with the occupying state or its representatives to the detriment of Ukraine's national interests is considered high treason and involves criminal liability," the document says.
The bill, which was proposed by Serhiy Sobolev of the Batkivshchyna faction on Wednesday, has been supported by 276 out of the 308 parliamentarians who checked in for the session.
The bill passed at the first reading defines the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol as well as airspace over them as "temporarily occupied territory," which would be declared an area with limited entry and exit.