Ukraine braces for influx of refugees from Belarus, Russia – Ukraine’s top security official

November 15, BPN. Ukraine has stepped up security at its border with Belarus amid fears of an influx of refugees from Belarus and Russia, Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said in a televised interview.

Illegal migration, along with military security concerns, prompted Poland to construct a fence at its shared border with Belarus, he said. Ukraine follows suit and reinforces its border the way the Poles did, Danilov added.

It is only a matter of time before “civilized” countries face a large inflow of Belarusian and Russian refugees, he warned.

On November 11, Ukraine announced a new effort to fortify its border with Belarus, including building a fence in the Volyn, Rivne, and Zhytomyr regions.

A three-kilometer long barrier had been already built in the Volyn region, including a ditch, an embankment, and a reinforced concrete fence with barbed wire, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office. Ukraine is also constructing fortifications in the regions bordering Russia, he added.