MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine has accused NBC News of violating its law after the US broadcaster had its crew cross into the Crimea peninsula from mainland Russia.
"Attending Crimea from the territory of Russia is a violation of the legislation of Ukraine, for which responsibility is provided - in particular, foreigners are also prohibited from entering for such actions. We are very much concerned about the tv plot of @NBCNews," Ukrainian Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko tweeted on Wednesday.
Moreover, Keir Simmons, the journalist behind the report, has been added to the notorious Ukrainian "kill list," the Mirotvorets website. He was accused of entering the Crimean peninsula through mainland Russia and "participating in propaganda activities against Ukraine."
On Tuesday, NBC News broadcast a report from Crimea where Simmons traveled on train from mainland Russia via the landmark bridge damaged by a deadly blast last October that was orchestrated by Ukrainian special services. The bridge has since been repaired. The reporter interviewed local people on camera who turned out overwhelmingly in support of their 2014 accession to Russia.
The spokesman for Ukraine's foreign ministry said that Ukraine was investigating the circumstances of the NBC News reporter's visit to Crimea and that he might end up prohibited from entering Ukrainian territory.