CrimeaSOS: tips for leaving Crimea and returning to controlled territories of Ukraine 

CrimeaSOS lawyer Anastasiia Kalinina gave instructions on how Ukrainians with a passport of a citizen of Ukraine, as well as with a passport of a citizen of the russian federation could leave the temporarily occupied Crimea. The full publication can be found at Radio Svoboda. 

According to Kalinina, the easiest way to get to controlled territories for a person with a russian passport issued in Crimea, is through the pedestrian humanitarian corridor “Mokrany-Domanovo” on the border with Belarus.  

“It is important to remember that there is no border between Belarus and Russia as such, but there are checkpoints… They have the same [strict] security measures, they treat Ukrainian citizens traveling from the occupied territories the same [suspicious]”, – says Anastasiia Kalinina. 

For citizens of Ukraine who did not receive a passport of the russian federation in Crimea, it is better to leave the territory of russia through third countries. In particular, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey and Kazakhstan.  

If one has a russian passport, he/she can enter Georgia and Kazakhstan without a visa. In these countries, one can apply to the consular offices of Ukraine and get a return certificate that would confirm the identity and give the right to return. 

“We have had many cases when families went to Kazakhstan and received identity cards there for returning to Ukraine, or they turned to us (“CrimeaSOS” – ed.) to help them issue birth certificates for their children, so that they could go further to European countries. Kazakhstan is actually cheaper to stay for a while than somewhere in Turkey or Georgia”, –the lawyer added. 

Another popular route is Moldova. The consulate of Ukraine also works there, issuing a return permit.  

“There is a checkpoint from Moldova to the Vinnytsia region, where one can drive through and enter the territory of Ukraine. We had many examples when someone used this way. That is, they [passed through] Crimea, russia, Georgia, Moldova, and then entered the territory of Ukraine at the border with the Vinnytsia region”, –Anastasiia Kalinina explained.  

We would like to remind you that if you have questions regarding obtaining a permit to return to Ukraine, you can contact the CrimeaSOS “legal hotline” at the numbers: +380962240123 for calls within Ukraine and the world +38 095 277 53 55 and +38 063 077 16 19 in Viber, Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp. Specialists accept calls from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. On weekends, you can send messages in messengers to the indicated numbers. 

Photo: VolynPost