The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expresses its strong protest regarding the ongoing practice of illegal movement of Ukrainian citizens who serving their sentences in the Ukrainian penetrate institutions in the temporarily occupied territory of Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol into the territory of the Russian Federation.

The Russian side continues to ignore the legitimate demands of the Ukrainian side and blatantly violates the rights of citizens of Ukraine who had been convicted in Crimea by Ukrainian courts in accordance with the Ukrainian law before the territory of peninsula has been illegally annexed by Russia.

In particular, Russia reviews the sentences made by Ukrainian courts on the ground of the Russian Criminal Procedure Code and consequently transfers Ukrainian citizens to serve their sentences into its territory.

Under international humanitarian law the transfer of the civilian population by the occupying power from the occupied territory, regardless whether forcible or voluntary, is prohibited. The violation of those general principles of international law by the occupying power brings international legal responsibility.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine demands from the Russian side to stop immediately the practice of illegal movement of Ukrainian citizens to the territory of Russia from the temporarily occupied territory of Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol (Ukraine), and urgently transfer them to Ukraine and provide the competent authorities of Ukraine with materials of their criminal and personal cases.