On 28 January the Novaya Guta checkpoint in Gomel District, which has not functioned for two years, was unusually crowded. It hosted about 60 journalists from nine countries. Belarus provided an unique opportunity to the journalists wishing to see with their own eyes the real situation on the border between Belarus and Ukraine and learn about the service of the Belarusian border guards. BelTA correspondents also came to the southern border.
“It's very interesting. I really wanted to come here. When we were on our way here for the election, we were told that there might be an opportunity to go to the border. We didn't expect to see the border itself. Besides, everything was organized very quickly,” said Elizaveta Borisenko, a correspondent with the Russian newspaper Izvestia.
Anton Bychkovsky, official representative of the State Border Committee of Belarus, gave a briefing for journalists and outlined the program of the event. He emphasized that media workers were free to work at the designated locations and ask any clarifying questions.
First, journalists from the UK, Denmark, China, China, Finland, France, Poland, Russia, the USA, Türkiye and Finland were shown a control point near the entrance to the border zone. Here, the reporters saw how passing cars are inspected and citizens' documents are checked. After the initial briefing, the press went to the border crossing itself.
Following the decision of the Ukrainian leadership, all international checkpoints and small-scale border traffic checkpoints on the border between Ukraine and Belarus have been closed since 28 February 2022. At the moment there is no international traffic. At the same time, Anton Bychkovsky said, the Belarusian checkpoints on the border with Ukraine are fully functioning and border guards are ready to fully resume international traffic with the neighboring country as soon as possible. Back in the day the border checkpoint accommodated 5,000 people and 2,000 cars per day on average in winter and up to 17,000 people and 8,000 cars in summer. Trucks with goods traveled in both directions, and in summer Belarusians went on vacation to the Black Sea.
Upon arriving at the currently non-functioning Novaya Guta border crossing point, the journalists began asking the border guards about their service, weapons and equipment. “Our servicemen are armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles, each has a helmet, body armor and first aid kit. Our service dogs look for explosives. In addition, border guards are equipped with video recorders,” the head of the border control department said.
Anton Bychkovsky answered journalists’ questions. The media asked a lot of clarifying questions. Mostly they were about the situation on the border. “At present the situation [on the border with Ukraine] is under control. The border service remains on alert, despite the fact that recently the situation has been normalized,” Anton Bychkovsky said.
According to the official representative of the border service, about 15,000 servicemen are on standby in the border areas of Ukraine [near the border of Belarus]. These are the Ukrainian armed forces, National Guard, police and territorial defense. “As for the protection of the state border, we have recently recorded that the Ukrainian border guards behave more calmly and professionally,” Anton Bychkovsky said.
According to him, in 2024 about 350 flights of unmanned aerial aviation were recorded on the border with Ukraine. “In about 20 cases, violations of the airspace of the Republic of Belarus by these drones were recorded,” Anton Bychkovsky added.
According to the official representative of the border service, the border service and border guards of Belarus take appropriate measures. “Border guards are armed with radio-electronic rifles, pump-action weapons to prevent drones from violating the state border,” the representative of the State Border Committee said.
When all the journalists' questions were answered, the border guards led the journalists to the next point of the route - directly to the border, about 1.5km from the checkpoint. On the Ukrainian side, the road is lined with fortifications.
Correspondent with the Yle Finnish TV channel Heikki Heiskanen said that he could not miss such a unique opportunity. He also emphasized that due to the conflict in Ukraine the situation on the border is tense.
It was very interesting for BelTA's correspondent to learn about impressions of other foreign journalists concerning this event. However, representatives of Washington Post, France Press, Polsat and AFP TV channels and RFI radio refused to comment, referring to the editorial policy.
The next point on the journalists' route was the border zone. A system of fencing, smart cameras and various sensors is built here. The journalists used the opportunity to ask additional questions. Anton Bychkovsky said that they register cases when men fleeing mobilization in Ukraine try to escape to Belarus. Some of them are caught as border violators, others are injured or killed by land mines on the Ukrainian side.
To conclude the event, the border guards prepared a pleasant surprise for the guests: hot soldiers' porridge, tea and other food for lunch. Each journalist was also presented with a gift symbolizing their visit to the Belarusian border.
This ended the main part of the event. After having lunch, the journalists had the opportunity to go to the nearby settlements of Novaya Guta and Kravtsovka to talk to local residents about their daily life near the border.
"We have a secondary and music school, a post office, a bank, a sports complex with sections and a swimming pool. We also have five horticultural cooperatives nearby. There is a forest around our village, where we go for mushrooms," said Natalya, a resident of Novaya Guta.
She also noted that their life is peaceful. "Our border guards are great, we rely on them and our government. We are calm. We live here and do not want move. Our grandchildren come to us for vacations and live here all summer long," Natalya added.
Belarus’ State Border Committee organized a trip of foreign journalists to the border with Ukraine on the instruction of the Belarusian president, which he gave at a press conference on 26 January. Thus, foreign journalists got an opportunity to see with their own eyes the situation on the border between Belarus and Ukraine. 
