German Foreign Minister: Russia's annexation of Crimea a ‘fatal violation of international law’
On the anniversary of the Crimea’s annexation by Russia, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas deplored Russia’s actions in the peninsula. “This fatal violation of law is now in its fifth year. Russia tried to shift boundaries by resorting to military force. Those who act like this destroy trust and put in question basic principles of peaceful coexistence,” Maas stated on Twitter.
Earlier, the Foreign Ministry of the Czech Republic stated that although the Crimea has been annexed by Russia, it is still a part of Ukrainian territory. Czech Foreign Ministry condemned the militarization of the Crimea and Russian restrictions on the free navigation near the peninsula.
The Czech Foreign Ministry called on Russia to comply with international human rights obligations and “to immediately release Oleh Sentsov and other illegally arrested Ukrainian citizens, including the sailors captured during the attack against Ukrainian ships in November 2018.”