UK national Gary Hunt has again taken part in the so-called Cliff Diving Competition (August, 2018) which took place in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, illegally annexed by the Russian Federation.

It is unfortunate that some of the UK nationals have neglected the official position of not only Ukraine but also the UK itself, which states as follows:

«It’s illegal under Ukrainian law to enter internationally recognised Ukrainian territory through a border point that isn’t currently controlled by the Ukrainian authorities. If you do so, you risk arrest or a fine, and you may be subject to a travel ban. International border crossings that aren’t currently under the control of the Ukrainian authorities include all land border crossings into Donetsk oblast, many of the land border crossings into Luhansk oblast, all air and sea ports in Crimea and the Kerch Bridge road and rail crossing into Crimea. Information on border crossing procedure, entry/exit regulations and checkpoints are provided at the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine website (more details at FCO official web-site: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/ukraine).

The Embassy once again urges all UK nationals to refrain from illegally visiting the occupied Crimea without official consent of Ukraine. Violation of the Ukrainian law leads to criminal prosecution.

At the Embassy’s request in September 2017, the Security Service of Ukraine forbade Gary Hunt from entering the territory of Ukraine for a five-year period for his participation in the so-called Cliff Diving Competition in August 2017.