Two Ukrainian border guards detained on the Nistru this week
Two other Ukrainian border guards were detained by the Border Police of the Republic of Moldova following an incident that occurred on Saturday, October 17, near the village of Vasilcău, Soroca district. According to preliminary information, the two were on duty and attempting to apprehend a Ukrainian citizen on the Nistru, near the Moldovan bank. The man has requested asylum in the Republic of Moldova, and authorities will process his application in accordance with legal procedures.
The two border guards were escorted to the Soroca Border Police Sector headquarters to document the case. Authorities initiated criminal proceedings for the illegal crossing of the state border. Investigators will establish the exact circumstances of the incident during the investigation.
This incident occurred just two days after a similar event. On October 15, two other Ukrainian border guards were detained near the village of Holoșnița, Soroca district, during an operation to apprehend a Ukrainian citizen who was attempting to cross the Nistru.
According to the General Inspectorate of the Border Police, the two individuals carried weapons; authorities confiscated all items found, including a boat, as part of the criminal proceedings. The border guards then handed them over to Ukrainian authorities under the bilateral readmission agreement between the two states.
The man involved in that case is Alexei Koval, a 49-year-old clinical psychologist from Kyiv, who was attempting to reach his family, who had already left Ukraine. According to his account and that of witnesses, while he was swimming across the river, he was pursued by a boat carrying two Ukrainian border guards, who allegedly attempted to detain and strike him.
Several residents on the Moldovan bank intervened and pulled him from the water. They transported him to a hospital, where he received medical care. He has since requested asylum in Moldova.
