About 160 Ukrainians detained in Russia for entering via Belarus bypassing int'l checkpoints –Ukrainian Foreign Ministry

Russian border guards have denied entry to Russia to 160 Ukrainians entering from Belarus and 60 of them are still in buses at the border, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry press office head Aliona Vaschenko told Interfax.

"On July 12, 2015 information via telephone came to the Ukrainian consulate general in St. Petersburg regarding Ukrainian citizens, who, after crossing in vehicles the Belarusian-Russian border on July 11, 2015, were detained by the border service of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and are in Nevel in the Pskov region. According to the existing information, passports were taken from all Ukrainian citizens and they were banned further movement without explaining reasons," Vaschenko said.

Consul and employee of St. Petersburg consulate were sent urgently to Nevel to find out all circumstances on site and take all measures necessary, she said.

According to the information they provided, on July 11-12 the Russian FSB border service detained for 48 hours about 160 Ukrainian citizens "for violating the Russian legislation," who crossed the Belarusian-Russian border in vehicles and were travelling in Russia. Protocols on administrative offence were composed regarding them, they were fined 2,000 rubles and it was decided to bring them back to Belarus.

Citizens of third countries do not have the right to cross the Russian-Belarusian state border, head of the FSB border department said. Ukrainian citizens can cross the border only at international checkpoints and since the Russian-Belarusian border does not have such checkpoints, Ukrainian citizens violated the Russian legislation. Such situations could also occur with bus and train passengers, the official said.

"As of early July 13 about 60 Ukrainian citizens were in Nevel. They all are in vehicles. There are no children among them. Conditions of stay are satisfactory," Vaschenko said.