OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper has imposed travel bans to Canada for individuals connected with the crisis in the Ukraine.

Harper said in a release today that the ban will affect “a number of individuals responsible for threatening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine.”

The prime minister did not identity the individuals in the release, nor indicate whether they had applied for travel to Canada or were regular visitors to Canada.

The statement said the ban was to protest Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The Conservative government has said the Crimea region of Ukraine is under “illegal military occupation” and that Canada will not recognize its forthcoming referendum on whether to join Russia.

Lawmakers in Crimea have voted unanimously to split from Ukraine and join Russia, and will hold a referendum March 16 to allow voters on the disputed peninsula to weigh in on the decision.

Harper described Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as an act of aggression and a clear violation both of Ukraine’s sovereignty and international law.