The ARRL has responded (see attachments below) to an appeal from the Ukrainian Amateur Radio League (UARL) to “consider the information regarding the status of Crimea as temporarily occupied territory.” UARL President Vladimir Grishchenko, UT0FT, told the ARRL on May 3, that Russia’s “illegal annexation” of Crimea “does not change the status of this territory, which legally belongs to Ukraine.” ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, on May 21 acknowledged the UARL’s position and reiterated the ARRL Awards Committee’s determination that the annexation did not lend Crimea status as a new DXCC entity.

“We appreciate the high regard you have expressed for the DXCC program,” Sumner wrote. “However, the list of DXCC entities is simply for the purpose of giving radio amateurs a consistent way to compare their DX achievements. It is not intended to express a position with respect to sovereignty and should not be regarded as such.”

The Awards Committee had concluded that a QSL with a call sign issued by Ukraine and showing the entity name as Ukraine counts as Ukraine, while a QSL with a call sign issued by Russia and showing the entity name as Russia counts as Russia. “A QSL that satisfies neither condition does not count for either entity,” the committee said.

Grishchenko had pointed out that the UN does not recognize Crimea’s annexation, and that the US government is “currently working actively to preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine.” He further noted that according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Ukraine is responsible for spectrum usage in Crimea, and that only Ukraine can issue licenses, despite what he called Crimea’s “temporary” status as an occupied territory.

Grishchenko had asked the ARRL to consider this information when determining “the conditions of meeting award requirements, as well as in determining the winners of competitions held.”

Sumner told Grishchenko that the ARRL Awards Committee’s determination “is consistent with the treatment, for DXCC purposes, of other territory that may be described as either ‘temporarily occupied’ or disputed.

“We join the world community in the hope that the difficulties and uncertainties currently being faced by the people of Ukraine will be resolved peacefully and with full regard for human rights,” Sumner concluded.