Part of Chornobyl Reserve lands to be transferred to border guards: Reason explained
Part of the Chornobyl Reserve lands to be transferred to border guards (Getty Images)
Part of the lands of the Chornobyl Reserve near the border will be handed over to border guards to set up defensive fortifications there, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
The total land allocation needed along the border is over 23 thousand hectares. Over 2 thousand hectares are natural reserve lands, which will be handed over to military units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Border guards will be responsible for the construction, installation, and maintenance of engineering and fortification structures, fences, border signs, border clearings, and communication facilities in these territories.
As stated, a draft decree of the President of Ukraine regarding the change of the borders of the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve has already been prepared. The document is currently undergoing approval in the central executive bodies.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs adds that border guards are provided with land plots 30-50 meters wide along the border on land and along the shore of the Ukrainian part of the river, lake, or other water body. The width of such plots near the borders with Russia and Belarus can reach up to two kilometers.
Belarus' assistance to Russia
From the first days of the full-scale invasion, Belarus has been assisting Russia in the war against Ukraine, including hosting Russian equipment and troops on its territory.
Belarus has also organized so-called joint exercises with Russia, which have been ongoing since April 29, 2022. Therefore, Ukrainian military forces continue to strengthen border security.
