DISINFO: London eases sanctions against Crimea
SUMMARY
According to the General License that was published on the website of the Kingdom’s cabinet, the British government is easing the sanctions regime against Crimea after Brexit. Now, in exceptional cases, British ships are allowed to pay from non-frozen accounts for port services of the State Unitary Enterprise “Crimean Sea Ports”.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about Western sanctions on Russia.
The United Kingdom did not ease the Crimea-related sanctions regime against Russia. UK Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons dismissed similar reports and affirmed the British commitment "to upholding sanctions on Russia for its illegal annexation of Crimea".
The United Kingdom has started the process of transferring European sanctions' regimes into its own national legislation after Brexit. British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons explained that:
«The General Licence issued by HM Treasury for the Crimea Sea Ports mirrors the licensing derogation in Article 6a of the EU Council Regulation No 269/2014 in both purpose and in scope and therefore maintains the same policy impact.»
Those sanctions were implemented as a result of Russian violation of the international law as well as key principles of the European security framework by illegally annexing the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the City of Sevastopol.
The European Union does not recognise and continues to strongly condemn this violation of international law, which remains a challenge to the international security order.