Ukraine Foreign Ministry wants criminal action against Russian actor
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has called for legal action against a Russian actor for his allegedly offensive political statements during a visit to the Ukrainian autonomous region of Crimea.
"We believe that law enforcement should make a proper qualification and take necessary measures not only in regard to the road accident but also in regard to his absolutely absurd statements, which are devoid of any common sense," ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis told Interfax in reference to Alexei Panin's statement that he was in Crimea and not in Ukraine.
"If he doesn't know what country he has arrived in for performances, Ukrainian law enforcement would be able to explain it to him in an absolutely accessible and convincing form," Perebyinis said.
"The Russian people are our friends" but how this Russian citizen acts on the territory of Ukraine "goes beyond all civilized limits," the spokesman said.
"It's a shame that by his offensive behavior Panin discredits not only himself as an actor and a human being but also the entire Russian cinema industry, which should also make an assessment of such conduct," the spokesman said.
Panin was a passenger in one of the two cars that were involved in an accident in Alushta, Crimea, on Wednesday.
He came under prosecution for assaulting the driver of the other vehicle and injuring him. He confirmed that he had hit the other car's driver.
In media interviews Panin made disrespectful statements about the driver whom he had assaulted, calling him a "Tatar boy" and saying he had "punched him in the face a little."
Refat Chubarov, first deputy leader of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis and a member of the Crimean parliament, insisted on criminal action against Panin for his statements about Crimean Tatars.