Foreign Ministry: Putin's visit to occupied Crimea and Russian military exercises near peninsula illegal

"Crimea and city of Sevastopol are the integral part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine, and no visits of Russian officials will change their status which is enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine and recognized by the international community," reads the statement of the Foreign Ministry released on January 10.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine underscores that the exercises of the Northern and Black Sea Fleets of the Russian Federation off the coast of the temporarily occupied Crimean peninsula are illegal.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine considers that the militarization of the Crimean peninsula poses a serious threat to European security," the statement emphasizes.

On January 9, Ukraine submitted a note of protest to the Russian side in connection with the uncoordinated visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to the temporarily occupied Crimea.

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