Kiev authorities will impose criminal penalties for not recognizing Crimea as Ukrainian
The Verkhovnaya Rada (Parliament of Ukraine) is considering a bill on introducing criminal liability for non-recognition of Crimea and parts of Donbass as Ukrainian territory.
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| A corner of Crimea. Photo: Sputnik |
The proposed document emphasizes Article 110 of the country's Criminal Code "On infringement of the territorial integrity and inviolable sovereignty of Ukraine".
Rada Chairman Andrei Parubiy, the author of the bill, together with MPs Victoria Syumar and Maria Ionova, want to add to the list of crimes related to this provision, the explanatory report for the bill states.
Currently, the first part of the law punishes up to three years of probation or imprisonment for actions aimed at changing the border, or for publicly declaring it; or seven to 12 years in prison, if the action results in death or other serious consequences.
The lawmakers called for the same punishment to be applied to the “willful non-recognition” of the Crimean peninsula and the southeastern Ukrainian territory controlled by Kiev.
