The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has called on BBC News Russia to not designate the Crimean cities of Simferopol and Sevastopol as Russian, the ministry's spokesman, Oleg Nikolenko, said
KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2021) The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has called on BBC news Russia to not designate the Crimean cities of Simferopol and Sevastopol as Russian, the ministry's spokesman, Oleg Nikolenko, said.
"@bbcrussian, don't promote Russian false narratives. Sevastopol and Simferopol have never been Russian cities. #Crimea is not annexed but occupied. International law matters. #CrimeaIsUkraine #Navalny," Nikolenko wrote on Twitter on Sunday, after the BBC's Russian-language broadcaster listed the cities in which rallies in support of opposition figure Alexei Navalny were held.
The list included the cities of Sevastopol and Simferopol on the Crimean peninsula in the column of Russian cities.
Crimea rejoined Russia after nearly 97 percent of voters supported the move in the March 2014 referendum. The majority of Western countries, as well as Ukraine, have not recognized the referendum results and placed sanctions on Russia. Moscow has repeatedly stated that Crimea's residents decided to rejoin Russia through a democratic procedure, while the referendum was conducted in compliance with international law.
On Saturday, many Russian cities were hit by protests in support of Navalny, who was detained in Moscow earlier in January upon his arrival at Sheremetyevo International Airport. Prior to Navalny's return to Russia from Germany, where he was treated for his alleged poisoning, the Russian Federal Penitentiary Service warned it would arrest him for probation violations, as he was previously found guilty of committing two administrative offenses.
