A Ukrainian woman who stated in her visa renewal questionnaire that “Crimea belongs to Russia” has been allowed to stay in Lithuania, the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court has ruled.
The ruling was issued after the court examined a complaint by Viktorya M., a Ukrainian who has been living in Lithuania for two years, against the Migration Department’s refusal to allow her to stay in Lithuania, the 15min news website reports.
In March, the 38-year-old woman, who is originally from Donetsk, was notified by the Migration Department that her residence permit had not been renewed in accordance with the article of the Law on the Legal Status of Aliens, prohibiting a foreigner from entering Lithuania, if they may pose a threat to national security or public order.
The State Security Department (VSD) came to a negative conclusion in the woman’s case after she filled in her visa renewal application form and stated in it that “Crimea was part of Russia”. The VSD stated that such an answer meant that the foreigner backed Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and the occupation of its territories.
However, when hearing the woman’s complaint, the court pointed out that she said she did not support Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine when answering another question in the questionnaire.
The court ruled that when assessing whether a person poses a threat to national security, the Migration Department should assess all circumstances and take information about the person’s family, work, and the violations committed into account.
The ruling could still be appealed, but the Migration Department has decided not to do so, according to 15min.
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