Ukraine's border crisis: Daily detentions spark controversy

Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko is eager to talk about the construction of training grounds for the National Guard, military personnel training, and the opening of national and patriotic comprehensive schools for the children of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine employees.

The minister is less willing to talk about mobilization, escapees abroad that the border guards don't have time to catch, and the work of regional military recruitment centres.

Radio Svoboda describes that the minister is quite reluctant to talk about corruption scandals in his own environment, especially about the fate of the family of his subordinate, the head of the National Police Ivan Vyhivski. He says that "not everything is so clear there".

Here are the most essential pieces of information from the extensive interview with Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs.

When asked about the escape of Ukrainian men of conscription age abroad, Klymenko replied that up to 30 people are detained daily. - We are talking not only about people who want to cross the Tisza, but also about those who try to cross with forged documents at checkpoints. This is about 15% of our citizens - he indicated.

Klymenko refused to answer the question regarding how many men have tried to cross the border since the beginning of the war illegally. However, he denied that it was "tens of thousands."

Radio Svoboda contacted the Romanian border police, who provided official statistics: since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, more than 12,000 men have illegally crossed from Ukraine into Romania.

Klymenko stresses that it would be better if they handed these people over to them. The Minister of Internal Affairs confirmed that Kyiv is in talks with "their colleagues from the European Union" regarding bringing back the men who illegally crossed the border.

He declared and admitted that at this moment, EU countries are unanimous and do not agree to the forced deportation of Ukrainians to their country. Every EU country acts according to the law and the principles of the European Commission, so the negotiations will continue in the future regarding the possible return of Ukrainian citizens if they cross the border illegally.

Klymenko believes that only 1% of citizens do not want to defend the country. He claims that the numerous cases of drownings in the River Tisza are not solely due to mobilization but also include illegal business activities by smugglers who smuggle men to other countries.

Here are a few cases of illegal attempts to flee the country published by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (DPSU):

On 14 June, the DPSU detained a record number - 41 escapees. The detention took place in the Odessa region. The men came from 12 regions of Ukraine. They were being transported in the back of a lorry. All were detained.

On 15 June, the DPSU reported that rescuers received a call about men who were illegally trying to get to Romania through the mountains. During the escape, they got lost. "Fatigue and heavy rain caused their disorientation, so they called for help" - the border guards report. Two people were detained.

On 18 June, the DPSU reported the detention of five men who tried to swim across the River Tisza to reach Hungary. Each of the detainees paid the smuggler between £5,700 and £8,100.

On 21 June, the DPSU detained a car with eight passengers in the Zakarpattia region. Each one paid the smuggler between £6,400 and £8,800 for help escaping. The destination was Hungary.