Roskomnadzor, Russia’s government agency which monitors the media, has blocked access to a consumer rights group’s webpage warning Russians about visits to Crimea. The “Public Control” Society for Protecting Consumer Rights (OZPP) had stated on its website that tourists visiting Crimea risk criminal liability, given that Ukraine considers the region to be an occupied territory. The webpage encourages Russians to seek permission from Ukrainian border guards before visiting Crimea.
Roskomnadzor has blocked the webpage following orders from the Prosecutor General’s Office. The Prosecutor General’s Office has also ordered to launch criminal proceedings against OZPP.
“In full accordance with Law number 398, the website has been requested to be blocked by all Internet operators. The block is being imposed on the territory of the Russian Federation,” said Roskomnadzor press secretary Vadim Ampelonsky.
The OZPP published a message on its website on June 18 stating that the unification of Crimea with Russia is “legally fictitious.” The OZPP states that according to international law, Crimea is an occupied territory, and in order to avoid negative consequences, the organization advises tourists to enter the region only through Ukraine and with permission from Ukrainian authorities. The OZPP warns against buying property in Crimea and warns boating enthusiasts that the waters around Crimea are still formally Ukrainian, meaning that ships near the peninsula’s coast without Ukraine’s permission are violating an international border.
The OZPP is considered to be a “foreign agent” by Russian authorities.
Russian parliament member Mikhail Degtyarev initially appealed to the Prosecutor General, requesting an inspection into the information posted by OZPP on its website. He claimed that the text on the website may have negative consequences “not only for a series of tourist companies, but also for the national security” of Russia.
The head of the Crimea State Committee on Tourism, Alexei Chernyak, said that the OZPP message is “a clear provocation” and said that other activities of the organization need to be inspected.
The Crimean Peninsula, also known as Crimea, is a territory of about 27,000 square kilometers (10,000 square miles) on the northern coast of the Black Sea. In 1954, the Soviet government transferred the territory from the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and it remained a part of independent Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Crimea seceded from Ukraine and became a part of the Russian Federation in March 2014 following a referendum on the peninsula.
The unification of Crimea with Russia has been recognized by only seven states (Russia, Afghanistan, Cuba, Nicaragua, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela). The EU and the USA imposed sanctions on Russia in response to the annexation.