Belarus–Russia border

Last updated
Belarusian–Russian border
Iz Rossii v Belarus'- granitsa 2013-05-02 07-50.jpg
Characteristics
EntitiesFlag of Belarus.svg  Belarus Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
Length1,239 km (770 mi)
History
EstablishedDecember 1991
Dissolution of the Soviet Union

The Russian-Belarusian border is the state border between Russia and Belarus. Prior to 1991, it was the border between the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. The border formally exists, but is not subject to customs checks or duty due to the Union State treaty and the Eurasian Union.

Contents

The length of the border is 1,239 km (770 mi), including 857.7 km (533.0 mi) of land, 362.3 km (225.1 mi) of river and 19 km (12 mi) of lake. [1]

History

The border between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation was formally formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.

In order to implement the Treaty on the Creation of the Economic Union, on 6 January 1995 Russia and Belarus concluded an Agreement on a bilateral Customs Union. The Parties stated that certain results have been achieved within the framework of the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Belarus on the Unified Procedure for Regulation of Foreign Economic Activities signed on 12 April 1994 in Moscow. The Agreement on customs union between Russia and Belarus entered into force on 30 November 1995. [2] After that, customs and border controls were abolished.

On 26 May 1995, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and Russian Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin dismantled the border post at the Belarus-Russia border. [3] [4] although the border guard agencies remained stationed in Pskov and Smolensk, and in Brest, Belarus there were commandant's offices that carried out operational cover of external borders.

In June 2009, Belarus established customs posts and sent customs officers to the border because of the Milk War. Belarus withdrew the officers and dismantled the posts at the end of the month once the dispute was resolved. [5]

On 1 April 2011, officially, custom control at the border was abolished. In accordance with the agreement, if the Belarusian transport authorities detect irregularities in the controlled parameters of a vehicle, the absence of necessary documents or irregularities in the documents, they issue the driver a notice of the deficiencies identified and advise them on the documents to be obtained before arriving in the territory of the other side. They also advise a carrier on the checkpoints on the other side, considering the route of a carrier, where a carrier must present proof that the discrepancies in controlled parameters of the vehicle have been addressed, and the documents specified in the notice. [6] After receiving such a notice, a carrier must obtain confirmation at the Russian checkpoint that the irregularities have been removed. The vehicle can leave the territory of the Union State only after the carrier presents the notice with the Russian conformation.

In April 2012, the Border Committee of Belarus and Russia held a meeting in Hrodna. At the meeting, Grigory Rapota, state secretary of the Belarusian-Russian Union State, said that 2,857 million Russian roubles had been provided for the project out of the Union State budget. The money was spent, among other things, on the purchase of two helicopters for Belarusian border control units and the further training of Belarusian border guards in Russia. [7]

There is virtually no border control when travelling between Russia and Belarus, but since October 2016, document checks and prohibitions against third-country nationals have been instituted by Russia when travelling from Belarus to Russia by road, as it is prohibited by Russian law for third-country national to enter Russia outside border control, and there is no border control on the open border. [8] [9] [10] [11] Visitors are advised by the Polish Embassy in Belarus to enter mainland Russia via Terehova (Latvia)–Burachki or Senkivka (Ukraine)–Novye Yurkovichi. [12]

Air travel between Belarus and Russia was treated as domestic and did not incur border controls before May 2017 (but there are identity checks as exist for normal domestic air travel in Russia and Belarus), [13] since then, the flights have been treated as international by Russia and a full border check is done on third-country nationals by Russia, though no formal border check aside from a simple identity check is applied on Russian and Belarusian citizens.

On 16 March 2020, Russia decided to close its border with Belarus due to the coronavirus outbreak. [14]

On July 29, 2020, State Secretary of the Security Council of the Republic of Belarus A.A. Ravkov stated that Belarus will significantly strengthen the operational cover of the state border, “including the border with the Russian Federation as part of studying the situation, tracking persons who cross the state border, including on the green border ”. [15]

On July 31, 2020, additional forces of the FSB border service were pulled to the border from the Russian side, and the Border Directorate of the Russian Federal Security Service for the Smolensk Region received an order to record the data of Belarusian citizens moving in both directions. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Belarus</span>

The politics of Belarus takes place in a framework of a presidential republic with a bicameral parliament. The President of Belarus is the head of state. Executive power is nominally exercised by the government, at its top sits a ceremonial prime minister, appointed directly by the President. Legislative power is de jure vested in the bicameral parliament, the National Assembly, however the president may enact decrees that are executed the same way as laws, for undisputed time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grodno</span> City in Grodno Region, Belarus

Grodno or Hrodna is a city in western Belarus. It is one of the oldest cities of Belarus. The city is located on the Neman River, 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Minsk, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from the border with Poland, and 30 kilometres (19 mi) from the border with Lithuania. Grodno serves as the administrative center of Grodno Region and Grodno District, though it is administratively separated from the district. As of 2024, the city has a population of 361,115 inhabitants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Border control</span> Measures taken to regulate the movement of goods and people across borders

Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it also encompasses controls imposed on internal borders within a single state.

Belavia, formally Belavia Belarusian Airlines, is the flag carrier of Belarus, headquartered in Minsk. The state-owned company had, as of 2007, 1,017 employees. Belavia serves a network of routes between Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as some Middle East destinations, from its base at Minsk National Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union State</span> Supranational union of Belarus and Russia

The Union State of Russia and Belarus, officially also referred to as simply Union State, is a supranational union consisting of Belarus and Russia, with the stated aim of deepening the relationship between the two states through integration in economic and defence policy. Originally, the Union State aimed to create a confederation; however, both countries currently retain their independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarus–Russia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Belarus and Russia share a land border and constitute the supranational Union State. Several treaties have been concluded between the two nations bilaterally. Russia is Belarus' largest and most important economic and political partner. Both are members of various international organizations, including the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and the United Nations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schengen Area</span> Area of 29 European states without mutual border controls

The Schengen Area encompasses 29 European countries that have officially abolished border controls at their mutual borders. As an element within the wider area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) policy of the European Union (EU), it mostly functions as a single jurisdiction under a common visa policy for international travel purposes. The area is named after the 1985 Schengen Agreement and the 1990 Schengen Convention, both signed in Schengen, Luxembourg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarus–Lithuania relations</span> Bilateral relations

Belarus and Lithuania established diplomatic relations on 24 October 1991, shortly after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The two countries share 680 kilometres (420 mi) of common border.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian Economic Union</span> Economic union of countries in Eurasia

The Eurasian Economic Union is an economic union of five post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The EAEU has an integrated single market. As of 2023, it consists of 183 million people and a gross domestic product of over $2.4 trillion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Belarus</span> Policy on permits required to enter Belarus

Visitors to Belarus must obtain a visa from one of the Belarusian diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Union</span> Former customs union

The Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Union or EAEU Customs Union is a customs union of 5 post-Soviet states consisting of all the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union which initially became effective on January 1, 2010 at the date of implementation of the common external tariff (CET) as the Customs Union of the Eurasian Economic Community or Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. It was inherited from the Eurasian Economic Community and is now regulated by Part Two of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union, EAEU Customs Code, other international agreements and by decisions of supranational bodies as Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, Intergovernmental Council and Eurasian Economic Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juxtaposed controls</span> Joint immigration checks

Juxtaposed controls are a reciprocal arrangement between Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom whereby border controls on certain cross-Channel routes take place before boarding the train or ferry, rather than upon arrival after disembarkation. With the exception of the Eurotunnel Shuttle route, customs checks remain unaffected by juxtaposed immigration controls and continue to take place upon arrival after disembarkation. Belgium, France and the Netherlands are all member states of the European Union and part of the border-free Schengen Area. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, has never participated in the Schengen Area, even when it was a member state of the European Union. As a result, juxtaposed controls aim to increase the convenience and efficiency of border checks when travelling by train or ferry between the Schengen Area and the UK by removing the need for immigration checks on arrival and by streamlining checks on departure. At the same time, juxtaposed controls are intended to detect and prevent illegal immigration. In 2016, there were over 56,000 instances when people were refused entry to the UK at the juxtaposed controls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarus–Ukraine border</span> International border

The Belarusian-Ukrainian border is the state border between Belarus and Ukraine with a length of about 1,084 km (674 mi). It starts from the triple junction with Poland to the west and stretches to the triple junction with Russia to the east. The tripoint border at the triple border junction of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine is marked in the form of a monument, while at the other border junction there is a river, the Western Bug that coincides with the border of Poland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valery Tsepkalo</span> Belarusian politician, diplomat, and activist (born 1965)

Valery Vilyamovich Tsepkalo or Valery Vilyamavich Tsapkala is a Belarusian politician and entrepreneur. After graduating from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with a doctoral degree in international law and serving in the embassy of the Soviet Union in Finland, Tsepkalo joined the staff of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He later became an advisor on foreign political and economic relations to the Chairman of the Belarusian Parliament, Stanislav Shushkevich, and then a senior advisor to the Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brexit and the Irish border</span> Effect on Irelands UK/EU border

The impact of Brexit on the Irish border and its adjacent polities involves changes in trade, customs, immigration checks, local economies, services, recognition of qualifications, medical cooperation, and other matters, as it is the only land border between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Belarusian presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in Belarus on Sunday, 9 August 2020. Early voting began on 4 August and ran until 8 August.

OMON or AMAP is a riot police force under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus (MUS) that specialized in combat and patrolling in urban areas, counter-revolutionary, covert operation, crowd control and riot control when people or prisoners who are involved in a riot, unlawful demonstration or unlawful protest, high-risk law enforcement situations, HUMINT, and internal security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Democratic Alliance (Russia)</span> Political party in Russia

The National Democratic Alliance is a social and political movement in the Russian Federation. It supports the creation of several Russian republics, the re-establishment of the Federation, and the establishment of a single federal agreement between the subjects of the Russian Federation. The NDA is co-chaired by Alexey Shiropaev, Ilya Lazarenko, and Mikhail Pozharsky.

Controls imposed on internal borders within a single state or territory include measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders through border controls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarus-Russia Customs Union</span>

The Agreement on Customs Union between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus was concluded in Minsk on 6 January 1995 between the Government of the Russian Federation by Viktor Chernomyrdin and the Government of the Republic of Belarus by Sergey Ling in two original copies in the Russian and Belarusian languages, both texts being equally authentic. According to the website of the Eurasian Economic Union, “Applies to the extent not contradicting the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union of 29 May 2014”. The Depositaries are the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation.

References

  1. ↑ "Без заголовка". www.novrosen.ru. Archived from the original on 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  2. ↑ "Страницы - DisplayDocument.aspx".
  3. ↑ "Союз России и Белоруссии: как Москва и Минск поступили с пограничным столбом - ТАСС".
  4. ↑ "Белорусская граница – без демаркации не обойтись". ritmeurasia.org. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  5. ↑ Sergei Grits (June 17, 2009). "Belarus removes customs posts on Russia's border". The San Diego Union-Tribune . Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  6. ↑ "No more transport control on Belarus-Russia border". Berestovitsa official site. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  7. ↑ "Border Committee of Belarus, Russia holds meeting in Hrodna". Naviny.ru. 6 April 2012. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
  8. ↑ Entry requirements - Belarus travel advice - GOV.UK
  9. ↑ "Belarusian Border Committee Knows Not What Happens At Belarus-Russia Border". Charter 97. 12 Oct 2016. Retrieved 20 Nov 2016.
  10. ↑ "Почему граждане ЕС больше не могут въехать в Россию через Беларусь". Deutsche Welle (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  11. ↑ "РСТ: иностранные туристы не смогут въехать в Россию через пропускной пункт под Смоленском" . Retrieved 2018-11-23.
  12. ↑ "Crossing Russia-Belarus border". Polish Embassy in Belarus. 2016-08-25.
  13. ↑ "Information on visa-free travel via the checkpoint "Minsk National Airport"". Archived from the original on 2018-01-09. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  14. ↑ "Russia closes border with Belarus". Belta. 16 March 2020.
  15. ↑ Белоруссия усилит оперативное прикрытие границы с Россией
  16. ↑ "Очевидцы: Россия фактически закрыла границу с Беларусью. На трассе М1 — очереди 10 км". Archived from the original on 2020-08-03. Retrieved 2020-11-09.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.