ARMYANSK, Crimea - What just a month ago was a road police checkpoint marking the border between Ukrainian Crimea and its Kherson Oblast is now an area protected by armed men on both sides, designating the new border between Russia and Ukraine.
Donning black uniforms, about a dozen armed border guards check travelers coming from and going to Crimea, which Russia officially annexed this month despite international condemnation.
The border guards’ biggest concerns on both sides are people transporting weapons to mainland Ukraine which could
aid pro-Russian provocateurs looking to incite separatist sentiments similar to those that sprang up in Crimea ahead of the March 16 Kremlin-backed referendum to secede from Ukraine.
A cute and friendly Russian spaniel called Chip, which
is responsible for sniffing out guns, hasn’t found anything serious so far.
But there are plenty of suspicious people passing through to keep the dog and the guards busy, border guards say.
“We send back (to Crimea) Russian citizens who have no
stamps showng a legal crossing of the Ukrainian border,” said Vadym Fasolia, a head of a post, adding that there are some 2-3 cases like this every day.
The border guards say they also stop and send back
suspicious looking men of 18-40 years-old with Crimean registration. “If a
person cannot explain the purpose of travel, gives muddled answers, this is
our suspect as well,” Kvasolia said.
Kvasolia added that each day he witnesses dozens of
Ukrainian soldiers returning from Crimea by
regular transport.
There are also about 10 cars carrying refugees every day. They began leaving Crimea en masse before the
referendum of March 16, he explains. These refugees are mostly Ukrainians, who resettle at homes of relatives in mainland Ukrainian regions, fearing for their safety in now
Russian Crimea.
Sometimes, border guards tell the Kyiv Post, they see people who have suffered
from brutality at the hands of their counterparts in Crimea.
“Several
days ago a husband and a wife with Kyiv registration were travelling by train
to Crimea. When the border guards in Armiansk
found some photos of Maidan in their cell phones, they beat them up, tore
their clothes and made to get out of the train,” Kvasolia said.
All the border guards, except Chip the dog and his master,
work shifts comprised of 24 hours on, 24 hours off guard. When they rest, they do so in their temporary dorms in nearby villages. Locals there treat them well, they say, calling them “the defenders.”
The
border guards have gotten used to being treated to an array of sweets, biscuits, preserves, fruits, vegetables, meat and prepared dishes brought to them by village residents.
A tractor used to dig trenches near the check
point also belongs to a local farmer, who offered his help and his rig.
At night, border guards say they see flares launched by guards on the Crimean side of the border light of the dark sky, but they don’t respond by launching their own. The Ukrainians have no flare shells. They are short on many supplies.
On several occassion people have attempted to bypass the posts, border guards say. Once, there a homeless man walking on foot from Odessa
to Crimea, they tell the Kyiv Post. After detaining him, the border
guards found him harmless, so they gave him a pair of new socks and sent him on his way to Crimea.
Kvasolia and his squad also came here from Odessa Oblast, where they
often had to deal with smugglers. But now they realize their task is much
tougher, as thousands of Russian troops in Crimea pose a potential danger for Ukraine.
“The
border guards are always the first line of defense,” Kvasolia said. “We know
that anything may happen here.”
Kyiv Post staff writer Oksana Grytsenko can be reached at [email protected]. Staff photojournalist Anastasia Vlasova contributed to this story. She can be reached at [email protected].
Editor’s Note: This article has been produced with support from the project www.mymedia.org.ua, financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and implemented by a joint venture between NIRAS and BBC Media Action.The content in this article may not necessarily reflect the views of the Danish government, NIRAS and BBC Action Media.
