The city of Malorita in the Brest region, which is home to more than 12,000 people, is the furthest regional center from the Belarusian capital. But the border with Ukraine is located very close here: along the highway, the distance is about 17 kilometers. However, now the checkpoint in the Maloritsky district is closed, as well as the railway line in the direction of the Ukrainian Kovel. It looks like trains and cars will resume their movement across the border for a long time to come.

What is happening in the Belarusian-Ukrainian border area?

People in Malorita admit that the border and transit status has had a noticeable impact on the life of their town and nearby villages. “We don’t have big projects, so for many residents the opportunities to earn money were linked to the border. profitable to resell”, says local businesswoman Galina.

According to the woman, before the coronavirus pandemic, she used to go shopping at least twice a week, either at the nearest Ukrainian regional center, Ratno, or at the border train station, Zabolotye. And if Belarusians in neighboring territory were attracted by the possibility of economic purchases, then residents of Ukrainian border villages came to Malorita or Brest, including for employment.

Natalya, a teacher from Malorita, recalls that until very recently cross-border ties were actively supported at an informal level. “The neighboring Ukrainian regional center Ratno was twinned with Malorita, and guests were often welcomed into the local district executive committee, but most of all I remember the joint park vacation in the neutral zone,” notes Natalya.

The “Friendship Park” on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border appeared in Soviet times, but the tradition of celebrating celebrations here was preserved even after the collapse of the USSR, when the Mokrany checkpoint was set up nearby.

“Of course, in the new conditions it was no longer so easy to enter the park – you had to give advance notice and show your passport, but the joint festivities continued. something to eat on a holiday in the park for Ukrainian hryvnias “, Galina, who was an active participant in concerts and sports in those years, shares memories of her.

Roadblocks and mines appeared on the border

The tradition of vacationing at Friendship Park was interrupted by the events on Maidan in 2014, when control at the border crossing tightened. As local residents note, tensions have already been felt between the organizers of such events since then, which was especially noticeable in the actions on the Belarusian side.

After the 2020 presidential elections, Alexander Lukashenko and representatives of law enforcement agencies reporting to him repeatedly spoke out about the fact that arms and ammunition allegedly entered Belarus through the Ukrainian border, with the aim of overthrowing the current government.

District Executive Committee in Malorita

As a resident of Malorita, who until recently was involved in border service, explains on condition of anonymity, at the same time, mobile border posts began to appear in the Ukrainian direction. “One of them was inaugurated at the end of 2021 in the Malorita district, explaining that it is necessary to fight illegal migration, drug trafficking and other crimes that affect the situation at the border”, says the DW interlocutor.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the rhetoric of the Belarusian authorities about the situation in the border zone began to change. At the end of June 2022, Vadim Denisenko, Commander of Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, who visited the Maloritsky district, admitted that not only mobile border posts were now equipped: checkpoints and even “mines- explosive fences” appeared.

In turn, the Ukrainian side also claims that the territory of the Volyn region, which borders Belarus, is now mined. Citizens are asked to be careful when visiting forests and driving along roads, paying attention to the “Danger – Minas!” signs. As the command of the local territorial defense brigade explains, such measures were taken in relation to the continuous threat of invasion of the territory of Belarus.

Judgment for anti-war stance

In Malorita itself, many people are afraid to openly express their attitude towards the current situation in Ukraine. One of those who was not afraid to do this was local activist Lyudmila Romanovich, who in early March 2022 sent a letter to the website of the administration of Alexander Lukashenko. The woman expressed her negative attitude towards the war unleashed by Russia in Ukraine and protested against the possible participation of Belarus in these actions, demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of the country.

Checkpoint in the Ukrainian-Belarusian border area

Soon Lyudmila Romanovich was arrested: a search was carried out at her home, and on June 20, the court sentenced the activist to one and a half years in prison on the charge of “insulting the president of Belarus” (allegedly, the word “usurper ” was mentioned in the letter). At the end of July, the Regional Court of Brest, having considered the complaint of a resident of Malorita, upheld the verdict.

About the act of Lyudmila Romanovich, who is known to many in the city, locals generally speak favorably, but admit they are dismayed by the reaction of the authorities. “Lyudmila is a brave woman, she has been in the opposition for a long time, but to punish a person for his opinion like that… People are afraid: after all, it turns out that until recently they spent holidays in the neutral zone in the park together with the Ukrainians, and now there are mines on the border, and it is impossible to express dissatisfaction “, – says businesswoman Galina.