Belarusian Ulyana arrived in Kiev from Vilnius on the morning of February 11th. According to the girl, at the passport control at the Boryspil airport, her passport was taken away from her, and then they were taken to the side where other Belarusians were waiting, about 10 people, an hour later they began to question them. During the conversation, Ulyana notes, they asked a lot of personal questions, took contacts of people in Ukraine who could confirm the purpose of their visit. After some time, everyone except Ulyana was released. “I was summoned to the boss’s office, who said in an unhappy tone that I was denied entry. When asked what the reason was, she replied that she had made such a decision,” the Belarusian says.
At the Boryspil airport, increased attention is paid to Belarusians
The girl can challenge the decision to ban entry to Ukraine in court, her familiar lawyers have already written a petition. At the time of the conversation with DW, Ulyana was still at the Boryspil airport. “I was taken to a strange room with emigrants, as I understood, from third world countries. I said that I would not go there, I was sitting next to her. No one offered us water or food, you can go under escort to the toilet or drink coffee. Citizens of Russia and Israel are also here. We are constantly counted, no one gave us our passport, the employees swear among themselves and take it out on us, – the girl describes the situation. – There were options to fly anywhere today at their own expense, or in two days to fly airline bill, of course, I don’t want to stay here for another two nights.”
Ulyana is almost sure that the extra attention to the Belarusians arriving in Ukraine is due to the current tense situation. “I consider precautionary measures normal and understandable, but you need to at least somehow justify your decisions. In addition, I don’t consider the form in which this happens in relation to citizens of other countries,” the girl adds.
Another Belarusian, who asked to remain anonymous, told DW that he flew to Kiev from Tbilisi on February 11 and went through passport control for a rather long time. “I have a new passport, there are no marks on past visits to Ukraine. At the passport control they said that I needed to talk to me separately. – the man remembers. Since he did not have a return ticket, as well as booked accommodation (in Ukraine, the Belarusian was going to stay with friends), another person in civilian clothes talked to him, as the man assumes, it was an SBU officer.
“Everything was correct, except that I stayed at the airport for a very long time. I perfectly understand that now there is a concentration of armed forces around Ukraine, Belarus has drawn closer to Russia. Trust in the Belarusian passport has been undermined. In addition, the SBU recently detained a representative of the Belarusian special services in Ukraine. I have no complaints against the Ukrainian side,” the man said.
The situation is discussed in the Belarusian public
The increased attention to the Belarusians from the Ukrainian border guards is also actively discussed in Belarusian publics on social networks. “Now a whole bus passed at the border without any problems. Don’t panic, it’s a one-time action for now. A couple of people weren’t let in, and people here have already written that they don’t let anyone in,” writes user Hanna.
“Seven cars were turned around in front of our eyes in Mokrany. They drove everyone to the observation deck, examined them for a long time, unloaded things, drove dogs, then they turned back to Belarus anyway,” says Sandra Otterson. “, where and why we are going. But we were going to see his mother in Lvov, and there were two small children in the car, so we let them through, we didn’t even inspect things very much (although we were forced to unload them)”.
Additional control measures are prescribed in the legislation
Meanwhile, the press secretary of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, Andriy Demchenko, told Radio Liberty that the border guards are guided exclusively by the norms of the law, which determines the crossing of the state border, including for foreigners. Regarding the photo and video filming of some Belarusians, copying of their documents, Demchenko noted that this happens if there is a need for additional control measures. This, according to him, is also spelled out in the legislation.
The independent public initiative Free Belarus Center, which also contacted the agency for comment, was told that the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine insists on full compliance with the formal requirements necessary to enter the country. Including, according to the law, to enter Ukraine, all foreigners must confirm the purpose of the visit and the ability to pay the costs associated with staying in the country. Such justification is an invitation, documents confirming treatment in Ukraine, an employment contract, etc.
The reaction of the State Border Committee of Belarus and Tikhanovskaya
Meanwhile, the State Border Committee of Belarus reported that “there was no official information from the Ukrainian colleagues about any changes in the rules and procedures for entering Ukraine.” The Office of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya reacted to reports that Belarusians were being intensively checked when crossing the border with Ukraine.
“We have been confirmed that control measures for entry into Ukraine have now been strengthened due to military exercises that are taking place on the territory of Belarus with the participation of troops of the Russian Federation,” the statement released by the Office in connection with the current situation says. “Due to the actions of the regime to “Belarusians are beginning to be treated as potential occupiers and enemies. All this is happening because of Alexander Lukashenko, who today cannot guarantee the independence and sovereignty of the country of which he was president. And, as usual, ordinary people suffer in this.” It is also noted that Tikhanovskaya’s office is in touch with the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and is monitoring the situation.
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