About 1,000 Hasidic pilgrims continue to await entry into Ukraine opposite the Novi Yarylovychi checkpoint in Chernihiv region, Spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Andriy Demchenko said.
“Groups of foreigners who are trying to get to Ukraine remain exclusively at the Novi Yarylovychi checkpoint in Chernihiv region. These foreigners continue to stay between the Ukrainian and Belarusian checkpoints, but, in fact, they are all on the territory of Belarus, up to the state border of Ukraine. According to available information, there are slightly more than 1,000 of them there,” Demchenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
According to him, the number of foreigners awaiting entry has not changed.
“Previously, there is information that a small number was added to this group of foreigners. But a certain number of them left in the opposite direction. Therefore, in fact, the same number remains, which was as of yesterday,” Demchenko said.
He also said that pilgrims continue to hope that they can get to Ukraine.
“Even in spite of those daily frequent explanations that the entry of foreigners into the territory of Ukraine is currently prohibited, we see that this does not in any way encourage them to return in the opposite direction,” Demchenko said.
The speaker said that the officers of the State Border Guard Service continue to be at the border in order to prevent violations of the legislation related to border crossing. Also on site are the forces of the National Police and National Guard units.
