Aliaksandr Lukashenka has explained why he decided to reopen Belarus’s border areas to Ukrainians wishing to gather wild mushrooms and berries. He said the move would help Ukrainians, who are currently facing difficult circumstances.
According to Lukashenka, before the war residents of Ukraine’s border regions were able to earn good money by gathering mushrooms and berries in Belarus.
“Very recently I instructed the border guards, together with the Homiel and Brest regions, to work out options for allowing Ukrainians to visit places they have long known. Here’s what I mean.
People from the Ukrainian border regions have always come to our territory to gather mushrooms and berries. They earned $5,000 or $6,000. That was before the war. They earned money to make a living. Was life in Ukraine easy before the war? It was very difficult. We allowed them to come. That was the practice in Soviet times,” he said at a meeting with Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov.
Lukashenka said he saw no security risk in allowing Ukrainians into Belarus’s border areas and promised that every visitor would be monitored.
“Even under the current circumstances, we are ready to reopen these crossing points so that they can come here, as they used to, to the marshes and other places — they know these areas better than we do — gather wild mushrooms and berries, and sell them. We understand that life there is difficult.
If the Ukrainian authorities — because they are the ones preventing it — abandon this policy and allow people to cross into Belarus to gather mushrooms and berries, let them gather and sell them. We are not afraid of this. We will be able to monitor every person who comes here with good intentions,” he said.
Earlier today, the Belarusian State Border Committee announced that it was ready to allow residents of Ukraine’s border districts access to the Olman Swamps nature reserve. The Belarusian Foreign Ministry has sent a corresponding diplomatic note to Ukraine.
