The European Union accused Russia of violating international law by banning foreigners from owning land in Crimea

The EU Foreign Service has criticized the decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which prohibits foreign citizens from owning land in most of Crimea and Sevastopol. The statement has been posted on the department's website.

The European Union does not recognize the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia, which is a clear violation of international law. Therefore, the European Union does not recognize this decree and considers its entry into force another attempt to forcefully integrate the annexed peninsula into Russia. Crimea is part of Ukraine.

The message of the EU Foreign Service emphasizes that the ban on land ownership in Crimea violates international humanitarian law, as it forces the inhabitants of the region to accept Russian citizenship. “This leads to arbitrary deprivation of property rights,” the department noted.

a decree in March 2020 Vladimir Putin adopted prohibiting foreign citizens from owning land in the border areas of Crimea and Sevastopol. In particular, lands in Yalta, Kerch, Yevpatoriya, and Sudak were banned. The decree came into force on March 20, 2021.

• As of April 2020, as RBC wrote , 11.5 thousand land plots fell under the presidential decree prohibiting foreigners from owning land in Crimea. The lands belonged to citizens of 55 countries, mostly Ukrainians.