President’s representative to Crimea: Launch of Russia - Crimea rail link illegal

Russia's rail link with the annexed Crimea is illegal as one has to enter and exit the temporarily occupied peninsula only subject to an agreement with the Ukrainian side through the entry-exit checkpoint.

Censor.NET reports citing Office of Representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea post on Facebook. 

"The Office of Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea underscores the unlawfulness of launch of a rail link between Russia and Ukraine’s territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and city of Sevastopol temporarily occupied by Russia, which took place today, December 23, 2019. Any entry / exit to the temporarily occupied Crimea should be subject to an agreement with the Ukrainian side and through the entry-exit checkpoint on the administrative border," the Office of Representative of the President of Ukraine in Crimea posted on Facebook.

The Office also condemns the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was not agreed on with Ukraine, to the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine — the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and city of Sevastopol — on December 23, 2019.

"Such actions of the Russian Federation are a gross violation of state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, neglect of the universally recognized principles and norms of international law," the statement reads.

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It is also emphasized that no actions of the Russian Federation concerning Crimea will change the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol as the integral parts of the territory of Ukraine, which is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine and recognized at international scale.