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DISINFO: Greek Crimeans are denied the right of visiting their homeland by the EU

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

Tags:

Ukrainian statehood Crimea Schengen Sanctions

DISINFO: Greek Crimeans are denied the right of visiting their homeland by the EU

SUMMARY

Greek Crimeans were denied the possibility to visit their historic homeland, Greece, due to European Union sanctions against Russia.

RESPONSE

Disinformation about the EU denying Greek Crimeans the possibility to visit Greece, which was neither counterbalanced nor critically challenged in the article.

Residents of Crimea that want to travel to the Schengen area, including Greece, can get a Schengen visa at the consulates of Member States or at the visa centres in Ukraine. There is no blanket ban on Crimeans coming into the EU. The only restriction is on Crimeans who attempt to use post-annexation Russian passports issued in Crimea, since the EU does not recognise the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and thus does not recognise the Russian authorities illegally established in the annexed territory as can be seen here and here. Therefore, Russian passports issued by these authorities should not be used to apply for Schengen visas.

According to Russian officials, only 19,000 Crimea residents gave up their Ukrainian citizenship after Russia annexed the peninsula, that is, less than 1 percent of the population.

See a similar claim that the EU’s ban on issuing visas to Russians in Crimea is a violation of human rights.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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