Foreign Ministry: Russia Plans to Lift Border Controls on the Border with Ukraine's Occupied Regions

This was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

An Attempt to Simulate “Integration”

Russian documents explain the abolition of border zones as the alleged “incorporation” of the seized Ukrainian territories into the Russian Federation.

As noted by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, this is not actually about abolishing control, but rather an attempt by the Kremlin to shift it to the outer borders of the occupied territories of Ukraine. According to Moscow’s plan, this is intended to create the false impression that the seized lands are an integral part of the Russian Federation and have been fully integrated into its administrative system.

The Position of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The diplomatic ministry emphasized that no law, decree, or departmental order of the Russian Federation can change the internationally recognized legal status of Ukrainian territories. Occupation does not create sovereignty, and an attempt at annexation does not generate territorial rights.

The ministry emphasized that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, as well as parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions, which are currently under Russian occupation, remain integral parts of Ukraine.

As a reminder, Acting Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga criticized UNICEF over reports of children killed and injured during the war in Ukraine and Russia. In his view, the organization’s wording creates a false impression of equality between the aggressor and the victim.