Australia has imposed sanctions on one Russian citizen and four Russian companies associated with the construction and operation of the railway section of the Crimean Bridge.
This was reported in a statement by the country's Foreign Ministry.
The agency said it did not recognize the return of Crimea to Russia, and the bridge over the Kerch Strait was allegedly Moscow’s attempt to consolidate control over the peninsula.
The ministry clarified that the decision on restrictions was made in coordination with Canada and is consistent with the actions taken by the UK and the EU.
On the eve of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada also announced the introduction of anti-Russian sanctions in connection with the situation in Crimea.
As TASS clarified, Ottawa included in the sanctions list the general director of the transport company Grand Service Express Alexander Ganov, the general director of Mostotrest Leonid Ryzhenkin, the enterprise Lenpromtransproekt, JSC Directorate for the construction of the Berkakit - Tommot - Yakutsk railway, Federal State Unitary the Crimean Railway Enterprise and the Crimean First Insurance Company.
Recall that Crimea became a Russian region after a referendum held there in March 2014, in which the majority of residents spoke out in favor of reunification with Russia.
The Russian embassy in Ottawa called the new sanctions hopeless and based on lies, and also recalled that in 2014 the overwhelming majority of Crimeans freely and peacefully spoke in favor of reunification with Russia.
“The next anti-Russian sanctions by Canada on Crimea, based on lies, falsification of history and ignorance of reality, are absolutely futile and contradict not only international law, but also humanitarian principles,” the diplomatic mission stressed.
They also confirmed that no restrictions on the builders and operators of the railway will affect its work.
“Everyone who managed to visit the Republic of Crimea after its return to its native harbor witnessed the dynamic development of the peninsula, the strengthening of interfaith peace and the protection of the rights of the peoples living there,” the diplomatic mission quotes TASS.
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Representatives of the Crimean Railway also confirmed that the restrictions will not interfere with the company's development plans.
The press service clarified that KZD is an independent structure under federal jurisdiction, and it is not the first time that sanctions have been introduced against it, but this has never affected either the repair and travel campaigns or transportation.
Sergei Tsekov, a member of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs from the Republic of Crimea, in a conversation with RT, noted that similar US sanctions are being “stamped” by their Western partners from year to year since the return of the peninsula to the Russian Federation.
The senator drew attention to the fact that only Russia, which contributes to the development of Crimea, falls under the restriction, but not those who act to the detriment of the inhabitants of the peninsula, in particular Ukraine.
“To blow up the power transmission towers and cut off the supply of electricity to Crimea, cut off the supply of water to the Crimea — that's okay, it's possible.
But for the desire to ensure the life of the Crimean peninsula should be punished.
This is the current level of understanding of democratic values and the issue of observance of human rights, ”Tsekov said.
In turn, Anton Morozov, a member of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, recalled that Australia supports the United States in foreign policy, which, for the sake of its economic interests, is trying to keep competitors using political motives.
“In this case, we just remembered about the Crimean bridge.
Apparently, these companies have hindered them somewhere and created unnecessary competition.
Therefore, it was decided to limit their participation in international projects at the expense of such illegal restrictions, ”the deputy explained.
Since the reunification of the peninsula with Russia, Western countries have systematically introduced or promised to introduce regular anti-Russian sanctions, mentioning that they do not recognize Crimea as part of the Russian Federation.
At the same time, Russia has always paid attention to the fact that restrictions in the West do not have a significant impact on the life of the country.
Also, Moscow has repeatedly emphasized that the territorial affiliation of the peninsula is not being discussed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in particular, spoke about this.
“We believe that we held the referendum in strict accordance with international law, with the charter of the United Nations.
For us, for the Russian Federation, this issue is closed, ”the Russian leader said during a press conference with the head of the White House Donald Trump in 2018.
The bridge across the Kerch Strait, which connects the Crimea and the Krasnodar Territory, is the longest in Russia: its length is 19 km.
The automobile section of the Crimean Bridge was opened on May 15, 2018, and Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremony.
On December 23, 2019, Vladimir Putin launched traffic on the railway part of the Crimean bridge, having passed it on a special passenger train from Kerch to Taman.