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BERLIN (Reuters) - German techno band Scooter faces significant legal consequences for performing at a festival in the Crimea region of Ukraine that was annexed by Russia in 2014, the Ukrainian ambassador to Germany said an interview published Saturday.

Andrij Melnyk, Ukraine’s envoy to Germany, told the Funke Mediengruppe newspaper chain that the band’s decision to enter the Crimea region “illegally” on Thursday was “not only a scandal, but also a crime with serious legal consequences.”

Melnyk said Ukrainian prosecutors had already begun legal proceedings against the band.

“This isn’t some minor infraction, but a serious crime that will be punished,” he told the newspaper group.

The band was due to appear at the ZBFest rock festival in Balaklava on Friday.

Scooter front man H.P. Baxxter told German media last month the band was going to Crimea to perform music, not engage in politics.

No comment was immediately available from the band.