Estonia: life in Crimea has deteriorated since its annexation by Russia Sunday, March 18, 2018 1:00:00 PM

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Russia's actions in the Crimea and accused the Russian Federation of violating international law.

In a statement by Estonian Foreign Minister Sven Mikser published on the Ministry’s website, Estonia denounced “serious breaches of international law committed by Russia” against the residents of the Crimea, including “forced conscription of locals into the Russian armed forces, imposed adoption of Russian citizenship, seizure of property, and restriction of freedom of speech and religion.”

It also emphasized that "in the last four years…nearly 40,000 locals have fled the region as a result of both psychological and physical intimidation." "Annexation has also made it more difficult to keep relations with Crimean Estonians as close as before," the document continues.

The Estonian authorities also said that they will not recognize the results of the presidential elections in the Crimea and Sevastopol.

"Crimea is, and will remain, part of Ukraine," the Estonian Foreign Ministry said in the statement.

Earlier, the Foreign Ministers of eight countries called for non-recognition of the election results in the Crimea. A joint statement was released by Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Sweden and Ukraine.

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