Belarusians near Ukraine border longing for end to war, resumption of normal trade

The Belarusians living near the Ukrainian border are longing for an end to the war as the nearly three-year Ukraine-Russia conflict has disrupted the normal trade and people-to people exchanges in the border area.

The road connecting Belarus' Gomel region with Chernigiv, a major city in northern Ukraine, was once the only way for many Belarusians to travel to the Black Sea coast, and an important land corridor for Belarus to carry out international trade.

The Novaya Guta checkpoint on the road in southeastern Belarus once saw a daily traffic of 17,000 people. However, it has been left closed since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.

This border crossing is now used by Belarus to provide assistance for the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine.

Tensions have been running high along the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, with both sides building fortifications and mined areas there. Belarus has extended the control area to five kilometers and equipped the border troops with the latest anti-drone equipment.

"The situation here is under control. The border service is strengthening the implementation of border defense tasks and remains on high alert. The situation has recently become normalized," Anton Bychkovsky, spokesman of the State Border Committee of Belarus, told media near the border.

In the Belarusian settlement closest to the border, life remains peaceful, with schools and markets operating normally, but demand for goods has dropped significantly due to the crossing closure.

The village of Novaya Guta is home to about 2,000 people, with many of them being Ukrainians who moved there decades ago. Locals hope that the two countries will repair their relations and resume exchanges between the people of the two countries.

"I have been living here for more than 40 years. I'm sorry I can't visit my hometown now," said Alla Serdyuk, a resident.

"We used to go to Chernigiv and Kiev. Half the inhabitants of this village are of Ukrainian descent. We all hope that every issue [between Belarus and Ukraine] will be settled," said Svetlana Zadorozhnaya, another resident.

The State Border Committee of Belarus has said that the country is fully prepared to resume international traffic with Ukraine in the shortest possible time.

Belarusians near Ukraine border longing for end to war, resumption of normal trade

Belarusians near Ukraine border longing for end to war, resumption of normal trade

Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodriguez said on Sunday that the country is at a critical stage and must achieve national unity, emphasizing that maintaining internal cohesion is of utmost importance.

In a televised address, Rodriguez called on the public to continue trusting the government under the current highly complex political circumstances.

Her statement comes in the wake of a January 3 military operation conducted by the United States, during which Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were taken into custody and flown out of the country.

The operation resulted in at least 100 fatalities.

Rodriguez, who was sworn in as acting president two days later on January 5, framed her appeal for unity against this backdrop of external intervention.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan Minister of Communication and Information Freddy Nanez denounced the U.S. actions as a "war crime of the 21st century" when speaking at an international cultural event on Sunday.

Nanez condemned not only the January 3 airstrikes but also the associated cyber and electromagnetic attacks.

He accused the United States of violating international law through the forced removal of President Maduro and his wife, while attacks on civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, represent a flagrant breach of humanitarian norms.

He reiterated that the stigmatization and military attacks against Venezuela are driven by economic interests, particularly the desire to control its abundant natural resources.

Venezuelan acting president calls for national unity amid complex situation