Sergei Aksyonov, acting head of the Republic of Crimea, believes the decision made by the Ukrainian border guard service, which has officially prohibited citizens of the country from entering Crimea without passports, is a step in the direction of the recognition of the Russian status of the peninsula.
"It's a good decision. If such procedures begin, it means everything is going in the right direction. The sooner they understand that Crimea is the territory of a different state, the easier it will be for everyone. We will avoid a war, avoid contradictions, and will legalize relations of Crimea as a region of the Russian Federation and the border regions of Ukraine," Aksyonov told reporters in Simferopol on Monday.
The Ukrainian border guard service has posted a requirement to citizens traveling to Crimea to carry internal passports on its website. The new regulations take effect on September 8.
Ukraine does not recognize the inclusion of Crimea in Russia based on the outcome of a referendum conducted in March 2014. Until now, Ukrainian border guards have not officially required Ukrainian citizens to carry documents when crossing the Ukrainian-Crimean border, although, according to travelers crossing the border, Ukrainian border guards have still been checking documents at the border checkpoint.
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