Visa-free travel for Ukrainians to the EU Schengen zone countries continues to be a favorite theme for Russian fakes nearly two weeks after it went into effect. One of the most recent fakes on this much beloved topic was by Russia’s Defense Ministry channel Zvezda, which declared that Poland wanted to close its border with Ukraine.
As is often the case in such Russian fakes, the declaratory headline does not correspond to the actual story.
Zvezda’s fake claim concerns the Dołhobyczów-Uhryniv road and passenger crossing which opened in July 2014. The border crossing features a pilot pedestrian crossing that is slated to end at the end of June.
Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service spokesman Oleh Slobodian told StopFake that Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry had officially asked Poland to end the pilot project and make the pedestrian crossing a permanent feature of the Dołhobyczów-Uhryniv crossing. While Poland has not officially responded to Ukraine’s request, Slobodian said that possible termination of pedestrian traffic on the Dołhobyczów-Uhryniv border crossing was not a topic discussed at the two sides’ working meetings.
Ukraine’s border with Poland is 535 kilometers (332 miles) long. It is the most often crossed eastern border of the EU. According to the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service, there are fourteen rail, cargo and passenger border crossings between Ukraine and Poland.
