The Kolotilivka checkpoint cannot handle the flow of people who want to return to Ukraine from Russia or enter government-controlled territory from occupied areas.
At the only checkpoint between Russia and Ukraine, where Ukrainians from the Russian Federation and the occupied territories return to their homeland, people are freezing: it cannot withstand the flow of people. This was stated in a report by The Insider.
“People are forced to wait for their turn for days. There is no water and food to buy, many have no money for a hostel, they have to sleep on the street in sub-zero temperatures, rain, and sometimes snow. The volunteers fear that with the onset of winter, people will die from the cold and demand that the Belgorod authorities organize heating and food distribution,” the publication said.
It was noted that Kolotilovka is the only checkpoint from Russia directly to Ukraine, the easiest and most convenient way to return home.
If a person is in the occupied territories of Lugansk, Zaporozhye, Donetsk or Kherson regions, he must first leave for Russia and go to the Kolotilovka checkpoint, where he will undergo filtering procedures on the territory of Russia . You can also travel to the Baltic countries and Europe, but it is more expensive and takes longer. According to volunteers, those who help Ukrainians to return home from Russia are mainly disabled people, elderly people and women with children who cannot afford the difficult European route, but now the Kolotilovka crossing has become a test for them.” , the publication wrote.
The situation reportedly worsened in late September – early October.
“The border crossing, which is open until 6 p.m., has reduced its opening hours by an hour due to the earlier onset of darkness, said volunteer Nadine Geisler, who helps Ukrainians cross their homeland . Then the passage was limited due to another exchange of prisoners of war and killed military personnel. As a result, , the departure queue of Ukrainians, which at that time included 50 people, was increased and exceeded 200 people,” the publication said.
The flow of people who want to leave for Ukraine has increased, because the work is becoming more and more unbearable. It is almost impossible to stay there and not receive a Russian passport; without it, it is impossible to find a job, get medicine and humanitarian aid, and there is also a greater risk of ending up in the basement. At the same time, Ukrainians often refused to accept a Russian document.
Volunteers helping Ukrainians to return sent an appeal to the head of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, as well as to the Ministry of Emergency Situations and the Russian Red Cross with a request to arrange tents in the checkpoint area that are heated, with benches, thermostats, beds and thermal blankets, and also requested to arrange hot drinks and food, and reduce the queue at the border and security, send additional FSB border service officers to the checkpoint.
The request for help did not find understanding among the pro-Russian volunteers in Belgorod. On the contrary, they were upset by the fact that for Ukrainians who do not want to live in Russia, it is necessary to create certain conditions, Geisler emphasized.
Remind us that Ukraine opened a funny show from the territory of Russia.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.