"The embassy initiated criminal proceedings against several German lawmakers. There is an article of the criminal code on illegal visits to occupied territories. It provides for a prison sentence of up to eight years. And the fact that you are a lawmaker does not absolve you from accountability," the ambassador told Ukraine's news outlet Evropeiska Pravda.
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According to Melnyk, the likelihood of the lawmakers receiving any punishment in Ukraine are limited.
"Germany does not extradite its citizens, and the German criminal code does not have a similar offense," the ambassador added.
The diplomat noted that embassy was working to introduce administrative responsibility in Germany for trips to Crimea without Kiev's consent, primarily for politicians.
Despite the sanctions, a number of delegations from dozens of countries, including Germany, France and Italy, have visited Crimea. German business and political delegations have made repeated visits, one of which was in February by lawmakers from the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD). More recently in August, a German delegation of politicians and businesspeople visited the peninsula to assess investment potential.
