The Norwegian authorities, following Finland, are considering the possibility of closing the Russian-Norwegian border for Russian citizens to cross it against the backdrop of a full-scale war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, the country’s government said on Friday.
“If necessary, we will quickly close the border, the changes can take effect as soon as possible. Compared to Finland, fewer people arrive in Norway, and the situation is different here. Storskog is the only border crossing with Russia. We are in close dialogue with the police and customs about the situation at the border and carefully screening everyone who arrives,” Minister of Justice and Emergencies Emily Enger Mehl explained.
As noted in the government, the partial mobilization announced in Russia and a possible travel ban for Russian citizens may increase the risk of illegal border crossing by the Russian Federation against the backdrop of Russia’s escalation of military aggression in Ukraine. From Friday, police helicopters will overfly the Finnmark region. The police also control Storskog and the area beyond.
According to the Minister of Justice and Emergencies, the police helicopter is a useful tool for monitoring the border area from the Norwegian side.
The authorities also recalled that in May, Norway tightened the requirements for issuing visas to Russians, in particular, there were significantly fewer tourist visas issued.
Hungary is working on expanding the border checkpoints with Ukraine Chop-Zahony and Luzhanka-Beregshurani in order to equip corridors for the export of agricultural products bypassing Ukrainian seaports blocked by the Russian Federation.
This was announced by the Parliamentary State Secretary of Hungary Levente Madyar during a meeting with the head of the Transcarpathian Regional Council Volodymyr Chubirko, organized to address issues of current and future humanitarian support for Ukraine by Hungary.
For his part, the head of the Transcarpathian Regional Council promised, as far as possible, to assist in the implementation of all projects planned by Hungary for implementation in Ukraine, and presented the Hungarian official with world-famous stamps and a postcard on the theme of the Russian ship.
As reported, Ukraine, together with Hungary, intends to apply to the European Union to increase the throughput capacity of checkpoints on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border.
“We will apply together to the EU so that we can develop the capacity of transit corridors from both the Ukrainian and Hungarian sides. We are concerned about what the food supply of the world will be like as a result of the war … We are interested in the movement of goods to accelerate. This is not only the Hungarian , Ukrainian or European interest. This is a global interest,” Hungarian Agriculture Minister Ivstan Nadia said last week.
According to the Minister of Agrarian Policy of Ukraine Mykola Solsky, Slovakia and Hungary are logistics corridors in the European market that have not been developed, because Ukraine exported agricultural products mainly through the sea.
“We have fewer checkpoints on the border with Hungary than with Romania or Poland, so we plan to increase it and are already working on it,” the Ukrainian minister stressed.
Lviv customs is expanding the capacity of two checkpoints on the border with Poland, said at a briefing acting. head of the Lviv customs Daniil Menshikov.
According to him, since this morning, trucks up to 7.5 tons have been allowed to enter the Grushiv checkpoint, and earlier there was a limit of no more than 3.5 tons.
Also, at the Krakovets checkpoint, work is underway on the construction of temporary modules for the passage of cars on the A4 highway
“We plan to open this road next week, and we will use all 8 lanes at the Krakovets checkpoint for passing trucks,” Menshikov said.
In turn, Igor Matviychuk, deputy chief of staff of the Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Service, said that vehicles up to 7.5 tons were also allowed to pass at the Ustilug checkpoint in the Volyn region, which should reduce the load on the Yagodyn checkpoint.
According to him, work is also underway on the border with Romania – the Krasnoilsk checkpoint is 90% ready for commissioning, and the Dyakovtsy checkpoint is 60%.
The possibility of resuming the work of checkpoints on the railway in Transcarpathia is also being considered – we are talking about the checkpoints “Dilov” and “Teresva”.
Projects of modernization to the European standard of the track from the border to Lviv and Kovel are described in the National Transport Strategy and require more than $ 75 million investment, said former Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine for European Integration Viktor Dovgan to Interfax-Ukraine.
As reported, Prime Minister Denis Shmygal at a government meeting on Tuesday said that Ukraine will begin to gradually move to the European track to connect the Ukrainian railway with the EU, first connecting large hubs and large cities, and then gradually expanding across the country .
“Investments in such a large-scale project are unlikely, because 1 km of the European road – 1 million euros plus rolling stock. It is necessary to make short connections Lviv, Mukachevo, Chernivtsi and transfer. It is important to take an action plan of the National Transport Strategy. it is unrealistic to make a European track to Kyiv or Odessa at this stage, “Dovgan commented.
It will be recalled that in the Investment Atlas published by the Cabinet of Ministers at the end of 2020, two potential sections with the European standard of 1435 mm gauge were presented: Sknilov-Mostiska and Kovel-Yagodin-State Border.
The estimated cost of the Sknilov-Mostiska modernization project is $ 20.8 million, Kovel – Yagodin – State Border – $ 54.2 million.
In February 2022, Lviv OVA announced that within the framework of the presidential program “Big Construction” this year work will begin on the restoration of the 8-km Goskolitsa-Rava-Russkaya Eurorail, which they intend to implement within two years.
BORDER, EUROPEAN RAILWAY TRACK, INVESTMENT, LVIV, MODERNIZATION, КОВЕЛЬ
The flow of citizens crossing the border of Ukraine with the EU countries and Moldova is decreasing, adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs Volodymyr Denysenko said.
“The flow of citizens at the border of Ukraine with the EU countries and Moldova continues to decrease. The level of workload at checkpoints has also decreased significantly,” Denysenko said in a video message distributed on Thursday.
According to him, over the past 12 hours, the number of cars waiting to cross the border has decreased from approximately 3,900 to 1,425 cars, and the queue of pedestrians is 30-50 people.
Among the busiest, Denysenko noted, were checkpoints Shehyni and Krakovets.
In Ukraine, new border crossing rules have been introduced for all unvaccinated persons who have been in Russia or India for more than seven days over the past two weeks, according to the Coronavirus Info Telegram channel.
In particular, a mandatory 14-day self-isolation is established for all unvaccinated persons who have been in Russia or India for more than seven days in the last two weeks.
It is noted that crossing the state border for Ukrainians arriving from any country is unhindered if there is a full course of vaccination or a 063-O certificate of the first vaccination.
“Foreigners are required to have an insurance policy and one of the documents: negative PCR test (72 hours in advance), negative antigen test (72 hours in advance), and a full course of vaccination,” the message says.
It is emphasized that in the absence of the necessary documents, the Vdoma application is installed and the person begins self-isolation after 72 hours, if the result of testing for COVID-19 by PCR or rapid testing for the determination of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus antigen, made already in Ukraine after crossing the border, is positive.
“If it is impossible to use the Vdoma application, the person will be under observation,” the message says.
