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Russia and Belarus have formed a customs union. The common border between these states is relatively perforated, making it easier to avoid collisions with border guards when choosing certain border crossing routes, reuters.com notes.
Unlike the Russian leadership, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has refused to impose quarantine restrictions in a country that also borders Ukraine and the European Union, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. He claimed that the best cure for coronavirus was vodka and sauna.
Many car and minibus drivers continue to promote cross-border transportation services for Russian and Belarusian citizens, despite the fact that Russia officially closed its borders in March.
Some drivers, who declined to reveal their identities, said they regularly cross the border with unauthorized passengers.
“Approximately 70-80 km before the Belarusian border, we started driving on rural roads to pass through border checkpoints,” said one driver, adding that the trip from Moscow to Minsk, the capital of Belarus, takes between 10 and 12 hours and costs around 10,000. rubles (approximately 129 euros).
Another driver, who introduced himself as Andrei, said that “hundreds” of Russians did not stay here after arriving in Belarus and continued their journey.
“Later, many people wrote that they managed to fly from Belarus,” said Andrei.
Belarusian airline Belavia offers flights to various European destinations, including Germany and France, as well as other countries.
The Russian Border Guard Service did not respond to a request for comment. The Belarusian border guard said he was not seeking to control the movement of people on the border with Russia.
According to local media reports, Russia’s federal security service has captured more than 250 people trying to cross the border since April. Both these people and the drivers who transported them were fined 2,000. rubles (approximately 26 euros) fine.
A Russian said he traveled that route. He did not find it dangerous or inappropriate: “It is a normal and good road, and after passing it, you are in Belarus.”
145 million Almost half a million cases of coronavirus and 6,358 deaths have been reported in a population of Russia. In Belarus, where 9.5 million people live. More than 51 thousand people are reported. cases and 288 deaths.
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