DISINFO: The EU’s ban on issuing visas to Russians in Crimea is a violation of human rights
SUMMARY
The EU’s ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens living in Crimea is a blatant violation of human rights, it is a question of “visa genocide” of Crimean residents.
RESPONSE
Residents of Crimea that want to travel to the Schengen area can get a Schengen visa at the consulates of Member States or at the visa centres in Ukraine. There is no EU demand that Crimeans "change the citizenship that they had once accepted" to get an EU visa. There is no blanket ban on Crimeans coming into the EU. However, Crimeans who attempt to use post-annexation Russian passports issued in Crimea will not be granted an EU visa, since the EU does not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and thus does not recognize the Russian authorities illegally established in the annexed territory. Therefore, Russian passports issued by these authorities should not be used to apply for Schengen visas.