The MFA of Ukraine called Russian passportization in Crimea a "repressive policy"
The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Russian passports are "illegally imposed on residents of the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol."
"Recently, there has been an artificial discrediting campaign in the information space against Russian passports, which have been imposed on Ukrainian citizens by the Russian occupation administration of Crimea since March 2014. Forced passportization is an element of the repressive policy of the aggressor state towards the citizens of Ukraine who are forced to live under occupation, ”the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The agency believes that in this way "Russia has violated both Ukrainian law and international law."
The statement also told that Russian passports issued in the annexed Crimea and Sevastopol are not recognized by the Ukrainian authorities and this is not a ground for losing Ukrainian citizenship. The agency refers to the 1907 Hague Convention, which prohibits the coercion of the population of the occupied territories to swear allegiance to the occupying power and, consequently, to the forced change of citizenship.
Source: Radio Freedom
