Turchynov: Ukrainian military complete blocking of country’s eastern borders

Ukrainian military and border guards have completed the operation of blocking the country’s eastern borders, according to Verkhovna Rada Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov.
“According to reports from the leadership of the Defense Ministry, with whom I’ve spoken this morning, our troops approached Izvarino, thus completing the operation of blocking the borders,” Turchynov said.
Spokesperson for Border Directorate of Russia’s Federal Security Service in Belgorod and Voronezh regions Dmitry Zhukov reported that Ukrainian border guards unilaterally stopped letting Russian residents into the Ukrainian territory through the international checkpoint Shchepkino, Belgorod Region (Russia).

Decision of Ukraine’s Security Council
June 16, the Council for National Security and Defense instructed the country’s government to carry out a unilateral demarcation of the Ukrainian-Russian border. The council’s secretary Andriy Parubiy said this after the session led by President Petro Poroshenko.

June 17, the Ukrainian parliament recommended the president to carry out the demarcation of the satet border with Russia on a unilateral basis and close checkpoints on it, adopting the regulation ‘On measures for raising the level of protection of the state border’.
The Cabinet was also recommended to immediately suspend the operation of checkpoints and to enforce control on the border with Moldova ‘in the areas neighboring to the Transdniestrian Republic’. In addition, the lawmakers decided to allocate extra funds to develop the infrastructure of the land border with Russia and increase the staff of the State Border Service.
On Thursday, June 19, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Alexander Lukashevich stated that Moscow hoped for Kiev’s resignation from unilateral demarcation of the state border. “This topic is actively covered in media; according to the established international practice, the demarcation of the state border is a mutual process between the neighboring states, and the unilateral demarcation cannot be legally binding for the other party,” he noted.

Violation of the Russian border by Ukrainian servicemen
Russia’s envoy to OSCE Andrei Kelin stated on Friday at the organization’s session that Russian border guards were reporting facts of violation of the state border by Ukrainian armed forces.
“If the Ukrainian side continues violating the state border regime, all the necessary measures will be taken to tightly suppress such instances,” Russia’s OSCE envoy said.

On martial law in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine
The Ukrainian Security Council also considers the option of introducing martial law in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. “This issue is being considered. However, I stress that we will first do everything possible to offer the armed party that applies weapons against Ukrainian citizens and the state of Ukraine to lay down arms and leave Ukraine,” Parubiy emphasized.
June 17, Ukrainian lawmakers stated that the parliament will vote for the draft resolution on introducing martial law and cancelling visa-free regime with Russia after the president’s consultations with the leaders of parliamentary factions.