Migration crisis – Monastyrsky said that the Interior Ministry is doing to protect the border
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has engaged aircraft and special personnel to protect Ukraine’s border from illegal migration flows amid the ongoing crisis on Belarus’ borders with the European Union.
About it on November 19 to consider the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Denis Monastyrsky during a year of questions to the government in the Verkhovna Rada.
“Russia’s migration crisis on the Polish-Belarusian and Polish-Lithuanian borders continues today. The world has finally realized that this crisis is artificial and is being managed by the secret services of the aggressor country, the Russian Federation,” Monastyrsky said.
According to him, currently Russia is implementing only the first stage of the special operation, as well as dependence on the implementation of the world community, in the first place the EU and NATO.
“It can be predicted that the Kremlin is trying to use the destabilizing group to the full and for the sake of maximum reputational damage to both the European Union and our state,” the minister said.
Monastyrsky noted that in view of this, there is a possibility that Russia is considering the purposeful passage of migrants through Belarus on Ukrainian territory.
What does the Ministry of Internal Affairs do?
According to Denys Monastyr, given the current main key tasks of Ukrainian law enforcement, it is to curb the mass flow of migrants and prevent them from entering the territory of Ukraine.
“In clear coordination with the Ukrainian intelligence agencies, we have already calculated the possibility of a direct breakthrough of migrants ‘borders, worked out the most probable scenarios of migrants’ actions, and planned the use of our forces and means,” he said.
Monastyrsky reminded that the length of the Belarusian-Ukrainian border is 1,084 kilometers, which is approximately equal to the length of the border between Belarus and the EU. As a result, the Ministry of Internal Affairs identified up to ten potential vulnerable areas with a total length of about 270 kilometers. The ministry also attracted up to 15 helicopters, two planes and 44 drones to the level in the border area.
Also last week, the ministry conducted command and staff exercises, during which various options for the development of the migration crisis were worked out. In two weeks, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is conducting field training from the Ministry of Defense, Monastyrskyi said.
Yes, said the minister, who ordered to involve operational reserves of the National Guard and the National Police. According to him, to protect the state border, use the tactics of echelon cover.
“The first echelon will be without weapons – only with protective equipment. In case of aggressive actions of border trespassers for personnel, another decision involves the use of the necessary special tools and weapons,” the official explained.
Except in the case of the use of life and border guards, it will be healthy by all means.
Denis Monastyrskyi added that the Verkhovna Rada should be ready to impose a state of emergency in border regions or districts. At the same time, there is no such need for ministers.
According to him, in order to counter threats to Ukraine, it is necessary to ensure a proper, intellectual state border along the entire length, first of all with the aggressor country of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.
“The most rational solution is to build along the entire border or river in the form of a continuous park, mesh and barbed wire with 100% coverage of intelligent systems of round-the-clock inspection and alarm,” – said the Minister.
According to Monastyrsky, it should be protection from sabotage and divorce groups, protection from smuggling, from illegal migrants, protection from the intrusion of leaders and members of international criminal groups.
“The most rational solution is to build along the entire border or river in the form of a continuous park, mesh and barbed wire with 100% coverage of intelligent systems of round-the-clock video surveillance and alarm,” – said the official.
The Minister reminded that the length of the Russian-Ukrainian border reaches 1,505 kilometers by land, and from Belarus – 1084. Given this, it is necessary to strengthen more than 2,500 kilometers of the border.
“Such work is estimated at about UAH 17 billion. It is an absolutely logical investment, and I think we will implement it next year. I appeal to people’s deputies to anticipate it when voting for the budget in the second reading,” Monastyrskyi said.
On November 18, the State Border Guard Service stopped 15 foreigners from the Middle East who called themselves tourists and tried to travel to Ukraine from Belarus.
What is known
- The migration crisis on the border between Belarus and Poland, Lithuania and Latvia has been going on since August. The countries accuse Belarus of deliberately creating migratory pressure as part of hostile hybrid actions against them as EU countries.
- At one time, groups of large migrants tried to break through the border from Belarus to Poland, but some of them Polish border guards may return to the border line. The Polish border is currently protected by about 20,000 military, border guards and police.
- The Polish Border Guard Service reports that on the night of November 13, the Belarusian military tried to break through a fence on the border with Poland with the help of a service car. At the same time, migrants used tear gas against Polish border guards.
- On November 13, a serviceman of the Polish Armed Forces was shot dead on the Belarusian-Polish border. According to preliminary data, there was an accident.
- Alexander Lukashenko denied the country’s involvement in the migration crisis and warned the EU to respond if new sanctions were imposed.
- On November 15, the situation on the Polish-Polish border worsened, with migrants led by Belarusian security forces, as well as Russian and Belarusian media, trying to break through the border and enter Polish territory.
- EU foreign ministers have agreed on a fifth package of sanctions against Belarus.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed a group with migrants on the border with the EU and ways to resolve the crisis by telephone with Alexander Lukashenko.
- The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has decided to increase the presence of border guards on the border with Belarus. Secretary of the Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov ensured that Ukraine was reacting legally to the aggravation of the situation on the border with Belarus.
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