Russian agency proposes maintaining strict record of Ukrainians in the Crimea

The Russian Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs has offered to maintain strict records of individuals who enter the territory of the Crimea from mainland Ukraine, as stated by the Deputy Head of the Monitoring, Analysis and Forecast Department of the FANF, Andrey Komissarov, TASS reports.

Komissarov believes an immigration regime in the Crimea should be established "taking into account its strategically important location and the conflict between neighboring Ukraine.”

"Just on December 13, the Director of the Federal Security Service made a statement about the increased threat of terrorist acts of Ukrainian subversive groups in the Crimea. In this regard, there is an obvious need for the development of activities for the strictest possible record of individuals coming to the territory of the Crimea from Ukraine and control of their presence on the peninsula,” Komissarov stated.

"Moreover, a draft federal law establishing legal, organizational and economic basis for social and cultural adaptation of foreign citizens in the Russian Federation and their integration into Russian society should be developed by September 1, 2017,” he added.

In August, the FSB said they had detained a number of “Ukrainian subversives” who allegedly prepared terrorist acts in the Crimea. A Ukrainian was accused of being one of the organizers, a resident of the Zaporizhzhya Region, Yevhen Panov. Later, names of another two detainees became known: a construction worker from Yevpatoria, Andriy Zakhtiy and Redvan Suleimanov who was detained three weeks earlier before the FSB made a statement about terrorist acts.

After that case, Russian authorities in the Crimea regularly reported on the detention of "Ukrainian intelligence agencies and subversives.” Ukrainian authorities deny the accusations, referring to those events as a provocation by Russian special services.

On December 13, the head of the FSB called Ukraine "a source of terrorist threats" noting that "threat is coming from Kyiv.”

  Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, FSB

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