LELCHITSY DISTRICT, 14 March (BelTA) – The situation along the state border is extremely complicated. Deputy State Secretary of the Security Council of Belarus Aleksandr Neverovsky made the statement as a new complex of the border guard station Borovoye of the Mozyr border guard detachment was opened in Lelchitsy District, Gomel Oblast on 14 March, BelTA has learned. The border guard station Borovoye is in charge of protecting over 45km of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.
Aleksandr Neverovsky said: “The situation at the state border will not become simpler this year either because Belarus is not so far from a protracted massive military and political crisis. The scale of events and combat exercises of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization grows larger all the time. The number of NATO military exercises held in Poland and the Baltic states every year increased by more than three times in the last two years. The number of their participants increased by more than five times. The Steadfast Defender 2024 exercise is taking place from February through May 2024. About 90,000 military personnel from 32 NATO countries and partner states are taking part in it.”
The official also noted that provocations at the border continue. Illegal migrant traffic remains a problem. A number of border crossings have been shut down. Their closure has disorganized existing logistic routes.
“In 2023 alone the border service prevented about 35,000 refugees from being illegally forced out of the territory of neighboring countries. The inhumane measures that are used against migrants often result in their deaths. The border service registered 27 refugee deaths last year. Four refugees have died so far this year due to cruel treatment on the part of Polish, Lithuanian, and Latvian border service personnel,” he said.
According to Aleksandr Neverovsky, there is no doubt that militants and saboteurs are being trained in Ukraine, Poland, Baltic states for the sake of carrying out terrorist attacks in Belarus and Russia.
“Meanwhile, these countries pursue an unfriendly policy despite our country’s aspiration for good neighborly relations, which is confirmed by the decision to extend the visa-free travel program for citizens of neighboring countries in 2024. Although Ukraine stopped the movement of individuals and vehicles across the border more than two years ago, we still let Ukrainian citizens enter our territory. About 172,000 Ukrainians have passed via our border crossings since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. 18,000 since the beginning of this year,” he clarified.
All the necessary measures are being taken in Belarus to secure the state border. They are primarily designed to prevent individuals with terrorist and extremist intentions from infiltrating the country.
“The recent capture of two Ukrainian citizens in Lelchitsy District confirms it. They had been trying to smuggle explosive substances into our country,” Aleksandr Neverovsky said.
