Local residents on the border with Belarus blocked the road, demanding the removal of the checkpoint and no document checks for men

Residents of the village of Stare in Rivne region, located near the border with Belarus, staged a protest against military checkpoints.

This was reported by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine in a comment to a Ukrainian media outlet.

“The main demands voiced by citizens were to stop vehicle and military registration document checks for men, remove the checkpoint, and allow unrestricted collection of wild plants near the state border, despite the existing border regime restrictions,” said Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

Residents complained about trenches and barbed wire around the village, stating that there is no Belarusian army presence at the border.

Demchenko added that after explanatory discussions with the villagers, they dispersed, unblocking the checkpoint and clearing the road for traffic. However, the residents remained dissatisfied with the inspections and border fortifications. They warned that they might block the road again, as they had done several times before.

Last summer, in Vorokhta, Ivano-Frankivsk region, locals blocked a Territorial Recruitment Center post, protesting that military enlistment officers were scaring away tourists.

Shortly before that, residents of a border village in Chernivtsi region also blocked a road in protest against a new checkpoint staffed by Territorial Recruitment Center personnel.