DISINFO: The West continues to punish residents of Crimea for their will of self-determination
SUMMARY
Western countries continue their attempts to punish the residents of Crimea for their will of self-determination, expressed in a referendum in 2014. The refusal of EU countries to issue Schengen visas to Crimean residents with passports received on the peninsula after 2014, violates citizens’ rights to free movement, contradicts international human rights standards and is politically motivated.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the illegal annexation of Crimea. Disinformation message appeared after a statement of the head of the European Union’s mission in Moscow, Marcus Ederer. On July 22, he stressed that the European Union did not recognise and will not recognise the Russian annexation of Crimea, therefore Russian passports issued in Crimea by the Russian authorities after the annexation will not be recognized and accepted when applying for a Schengen visa. Ederer advised residents of the peninsula to visit European countries using their Ukrainian documents. With the annexation of the Ukrainian Crimea, Russia forcibly imposed the citizenship of the occupying country on two million Crimeans. Crimeans remain citizens of Ukraine, who can obtain a biometric passport and freely take advantage of the visa-free regime with the European Union by visiting a wide list of states without obtaining any additional visas. You can read more on the topic here, here and here.