Kremlin oppositionist recognizes Crimea as Russian

Alexei Navalny's wife said that Crimea legally belongs to Ukraine, but is effectively controlled by Russia. At the same time, international law does not recognize the annexation of Crimea, considering it a war crime and confirming that the peninsula belongs to Ukraine.

This was reported by Novosti.LIVE.

Yulia Navalnaya, the widow of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, said in an interview with a Finnish journalist that Crimea "legally belongs to Ukraine, but is actually under Russian control."

She added that this is a very complicated issue because of the millions of Crimeans who have received Russian passports, and emphasized that even Ukrainian officials recognize the complexity of this situation. Her position actually repeats the official Kremlin rhetoric on the status of the peninsula.

According to the newspaper, the issuance of Russian passports in Crimea during the occupation is a forced passportization and has no legal force under international humanitarian law, and is also recognized as a war crime.

In 2024, during Yulia Navalnaya 's speech at the Web Summit conference in Lisbon, Ukrainians interrupted her speech with an air raid alarm and shouts of "Stop Russia. Stop the war!" in protest of her being positioned as a voice of democracy.

The annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 has not been recognized by any democratic country in the world, and all leading international institutions, including the United Nations, have unequivocally confirmed this: Crimea is Ukrainian territory.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has reaffirmed this: Crimea is Ukraine, and Russia's actions are illegal. In its resolution, the PACE called for bringing to justice not only the leadership of the Russian Federation, but also Belarus and North Korea for complicity in the crimes. The document also provides for the establishment of a special tribunal, investigation of war crimes and supports the confiscation of frozen Russian assets in favor of Ukraine.

On the Day of the Crimean Tatar Flag, a large flag was unfurled in Kyiv as a symbol of indomitability and the struggle for freedom. Participants of the rally emphasized that the blue flag with a golden tamga will definitely fly over the free Crimea next to the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine.

Анна Бальчінос