East StratCom disinformation claim:

The EU’s ban on issuing visas to Russian citizens living in Crimea is a blatant violation of human rights, it is a question of “visa genocide” of Crimean residents.

Documentation for claim

Period/date: 30. November 2016

Debunk claim:

There is no EU demand that Crimeans “change the citizenship that they had once accepted” to get an EU visa. There is no blanket ban on Crimeans coming into the EU. However, Crimeans who attempt to use post-annexation Russian passports issued in Crimea will not be granted an EU visa, since the EU does not recognize the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol and thus does not recognize the Russian authorities illegally established in the annexed territory. Therefore, Russian passports issued by these authorities should not be used to apply for Schengen visas http://www.polygraph.info/a/eu-discriminate-crimean-visa-application/28164260.html

Documentation for the debunk

Additional information

This information is reported by polygraphinfo in Disinformation Review issue 51. The item is located at row number 19 in the report.

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