The Russian traffic police conduct special activities to identify Crimean cars with Ukrainian number plates in Crimea. The police stop those cars and make a warning to Crimean drivers.
The citizen of the Crimean village was stopped on the highway Simferopol – Feodosiya while he was driving a car with Ukrainian number plates. The information about the driver and the car was recorded by the police lieutenant in its report, which noted that the driver was issued a verbal warning. Police have warned that after 10 days, if the vehicle is not re-registered according to Russian law, the administrative report of the offense would be made regarding this driver, which would entail a fine of 500 rubles, and if the car is not re-registered, it can be taken to secure vehicle compound.
The driver watched as the traffic police stopped another car with Ukrainian number plates during half an hour and the driver was asked to go to the police car.
Another Crimean citizen reported to Crimean Human Rights Group that traffic police patrol specifically the villages of Crimea and identify cars with Ukrainian numbers plates.
Lets recall that, according to the decree of the Russian Federation Government of 31 October, 2015 № 1171 “On Amendments to the Russian Federation Government Decree of 27 April, 2015 № 399” all the registration documents for the car, as well as number plates issued prior to 18 March, 2014 in Ukraine, Crimea residents should replaced by Russian. This decree contradicts the norms of the Russian legislation. Thus, Article 12 of the Federal Law “On admission of Republic of Crimea to the Russian Federation” says that legal documents of Ukraine will act indefinitely. Despite this, car owners are obliged to change documents, otherwise they face a fine of 500 rubles, and for repeated violation they may be deprived of the right to drive vehicles for a period from one to three months.
Many car owners are not willing to change the number plates and documents on Russian, issued in Crimea, because such documents, according to the norms of international law are invalid.
Furthermore, to leave Crimea to mainland Ukraine by car with Russian license plates issued in Crimea is impossible, as Ukraine does not recognize the documents issued by the Russian Federation in Crimea.
Crimean Human Rights Group together with a number of non-governmental organizations demanded that the Ukrainian authorities to develop a mechanism for the temporary issuance of Ukrainian number plates for Ukrainian citizens from Crimea at “adminborder” in the Kherson region, so Crimean citizens could implement their legitimate right to use private property and freedom of movement on the mainland of Ukraine. At this time, there is no such opportunity for the Crimean citizens who had to change the number plates and documents on Russian.
