The Russian FSB plans to abolish border zones in certain areas of the Rostov and Voronezh regions, which border the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. This is reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, writes “Ukrainian News”. The PromPolitInform portal informs.
In Russian draft departmental orders, such changes are explained by the alleged “inclusion” of the occupied territories of Ukraine into the Russian Federation.
“Thus, Moscow is once again trying to pass off wishful thinking and replace the internationally recognized legal status with its own unsound administrative decisions,” the Foreign Ministry explained.
In fact, this is an attempt to transfer border control to the external borders of the occupied territories and erase the administrative border between Russia and the Ukrainian lands it has seized.
Instead, the ministry stated that Russian laws, decrees, and departmental orders are not capable of changing the internationally recognized status of Ukrainian territories.
“Occupation does not create sovereignty, and an attempt at annexation does not generate territorial rights,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The Foreign Ministry noted that Russia remains an occupying power regardless of how it defines the status of the occupied territories in its own legislation.
These are the occupied parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, and Kherson regions, as well as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol.
The ministry emphasized that the change of checkpoints, documents, or maps by the Russian authorities does not affect the state border of Ukraine. It remains internationally recognized and cannot be changed by unilateral decisions of Russia.
