NBC journalist arrives in temporarily occupied Crimea via Kerch bridge: Ukrainian Foreign Ministry responds

Oleg Nikolenko shared his response on Facebook. 

"Visiting the temporarily occupied Crimea from the territory of the Russian Federation is a violation of Ukrainian legislation. Violators are legally liable. In particular, foreigners may also be banned from entering Ukraine for such actions," Nikolenko wrote.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson emphasized that the Ukrainian relevant authorities are establishing the circumstances of the illegal visit of the NBC journalist to the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea. "Based on the results of the inspection, a decision will be made on further steps."

On February 28, the American NBC published a report from Crimea, in which the journalist visited the peninsula, temporarily occupied by Russia, through the Kerch bridge.

"This is not Russia, according to Kyiv, its Western allies and the United Nations. It was annexed by the Kremlin in 2014, with the U.N. calling on Russia to return to its "internationally recognized borders." And following Moscow’s broader invasion launched a year ago, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has vowed Ukraine will take Crimea back," the outlet writes.

NBC News openly describes how the journalist got to the temporarily occupied Crimea. "NBC News traveled to Crimea by train from Moscow, across the Kerch Bridge that was blown up in a strategic and symbolic blow to Putin last fall. It is now fully restored but would likely be targeted again if the fight came to this peninsula."

• On January 21, Ben Hodges said that Ukraine would liberate the occupied Crimea by the end of the summer if Western partners provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the necessary weapons and long-range missiles.