The Ukrainian prosecutor's office started a criminal case because of the trip of German deputies to the Crimea, the website of the ministry said.

Delegates are accused of violating the order of entry "to temporarily occupied territory." They are threatened with restriction or imprisonment for up to three years.

The delegation of German deputies arrived in Crimea on an official visit on Saturday and will stay on the peninsula until February 9. It included representatives of the party "Alternative for Germany" from the three regional parliaments of the country - Berlin, Brandenburg and North Rhine-Westphalia.

As noted in the State Duma, the arrival of the delegation from Germany to the Crimea testifies to the desire of German businessmen and politicians to cooperate with Russia, including on the peninsula.

Crimea joined the Russian Federation after a referendum, in which more than 95% of the inhabitants of the peninsula voted for such a decision. Ukraine considers it its own, but "temporarily occupied" territory. Kiev regularly institutes criminal proceedings against foreign politicians and cultural figures who visited the peninsula.

Moscow has repeatedly stated that the accession of the Crimea does not contradict the norms of international law and the UN Charter.

Link: https://ria.ru/world/20180205/1514017161.html