A full-fledged state border has been creating in Donbas, – Restoring Donbas

23:01 / 25 Apr. 2017 / 1000

Experts of the «Restoring Donbas» community initiative of Oleksandr Klymenko analyzed the amended “Temporary procedures for control over movements of individuals, vehicles and goods along the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions” and concluded that Ukraine creates a full-fledged state border along the demarcation line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The rules were posted on the website of the Security Service of Ukraine on April 24, 2017.

According to Olena Petryayeva, the head of the “Restoring Donbas”, “The amended procedure includes several positive bullet points, which have not been resolved yet. There are unambiguous advantages, such as:  introduction of a multiple-entry termless pass, an official list of people, who are eligible for extraordinary crossing the checkpoints, arrangement of crossing the checkpoints for people, who live near the demarcation line, and transportation of cargo to these settlements. However, at the same time, there are some new questions. For instance, should people, who have already had the pass, reissue a new one under the updated rules? De jure, no. However, in fact, it is unknown. A new provision on the mandatory filling of all the highlighted fields of the application was added. It also includes a field of “place of registration”. Those IDPs, who have obtained passports since the second half of 2015, have no permanent place of registration. What should they do?”.

In addition, Olena Petryayeva noted that people, who have access to state secrets, are forbidden to cross the demarcation line. They will not be able to get a pass. However, under exceptional circumstances, such people can get a one-time pass at the request of the head of the relevant state body or local authority.

In addition, the new procedure includes a new road corridor “Stanica Luhanskaya – Shchastya – Novoaydar” – “Stanica Luhanskaya” checkpoint; section on the movement of goods (cargo) was officially excluded; it is fixed movement of goods by individuals in hand luggage and / or in accompanying baggage by car is carried out according to the list and volumes approved by the corresponding order of the Ministry of Transport and Communications;  the procedure for crossing the demarcation line by representatives of international humanitarian organizations and people with official passports of foreign states, etc., was clarified.

“The Procedure includes several provisions that can be a cause for concern. It comes about clauses, which create an actual state border of Ukraine along the demarcation line. For instance, provisions on residents of settlements near the demarcation line, which are regulated by the provision on the border regime of 1998, provisions on control over the observance of the procedure for movement of people and goods that are carried out exclusively by the fiscal and border guard services. If they dig poles with the state signs, the border will be ready”, – Olena Petryayeva concluded.

Experts of the “Restoring Donbas” community initiative prepared a request to

the Antiterrorist Centre under the Security Service of Ukraine, which includes a list of questions that showed up due to updating the procedure. The answer will be published on the website of the organization.

In its turn, we provide infographics concerning the main amendments to the “Temporary procedures for control over movements of individuals, vehicles and goods along the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk regions”.

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