The Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea has initiated criminal proceedings against representatives of the Coop Himmelblau Austrian architectural bureau, which is involved in the construction of an opera house in Russian-occupied Sevastopol, special representative for sanctions policy of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine Oleksiy Makeyev said.

"Ukraine has also launched internal procedures to impose sanctions against the bureau for cooperation with the Russian occupation administration and complicity in Russia's attempt to legitimize the annexation of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea," Makeyev wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

He also said that Kyiv has called on responsible foreign and Ukrainian businesses to abandon any projects of "Coop Himmelblau."

"We will not tolerate such blatant disregard for Ukrainian sovereignty and cooperation with the Russian occupation administration. The leadership of this Austrian company decided to skate on thin ice. They will be banned from entering Ukraine, and the international reputation of this company will have serious losses," Makeyev wrote.

Earlier, Ambassador of Ukraine to Austria Oleksandr Scherba spoke about the available information on the participation of the Austrian architectural bureau "Coop Himmelblau" in the construction of the opera house in Sevastopol.