Foreign Ministry: About 40,000 Ukrainians have left Crimea because of intimidation

Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsia said this during the international conference "De-occupation of Crimea: When and How" in Lisbon, the press service of the Foreign Ministry reports.

"Intimidation, physical and psychological pressure, which is being exerted by the occupation authorities in Crimea, have forced 35,000-40,000 Ukrainian citizens, including more than 20,000 Crimean Tatars, to leave the peninsula and settle in other regions of Ukraine," Kyslytsia said.

He stressed that the Russian de facto authorities used such methods to eliminate any non-governmental initiatives and opposition. As a result, about 60 citizens of Ukraine in Russia have been illegally jailed on the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea on trumped-up charges.

"Their release remains one of the main priorities of Ukraine and the international community," the deputy minister stressed.

ol