VIDEO // Moldova's interior minister says two incidents involving Ukrainian border guards first recorded since beginning of war

The two incidents in which Ukrainian border guard patrols were detained by Moldova’s authorities after illegally crossing the Dniester River during patrol missions are the first and only cases of this kind recorded since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Interior Minister Daniella Misail-Nichitin has made statements to this effect during the Pe Față (Openly) programme, broadcast on the public television station Moldova 1.

According to the minister, in both situations, the Ukrainian border guards were on a patrol mission on the Dniester and allegedly tried to stop Ukrainian citizens who were illegally crossing the river to reach the territory of Moldova. The two Ukrainian citizens requested asylum in our country.

“Since the beginning of the war, these are the first and only two cases in which patrols of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, during a patrol mission on the Dniester River, intervened with the intention of stopping a Ukrainian citizen who was illegally crossing the river,” Daniella Misail-Nichitin said.





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The minister specified that the Moldovan authorities acted in accordance with national legislation. In both cases, criminal proceedings were initiated for the illegal crossing of the state border and the Ukrainian border guards were detained and documented.

In the first case, the two border guards later returned to Ukrainian territory under the readmission agreement. If prosecutors deem it necessary, they may be summoned for further questioning.

“They are liable for the act they committed on the territory of the Republic of Moldova,” the minister said. She noted that prosecutors would establish the legal classification of the acts and decide whether to pursue separate cases or join the proceedings.

Daniella Misail-Nichitin said she had discussed the matter with her Ukrainian counterpart, and that the Ukrainian authorities were also taking action regarding the violations committed by the two border guards.

Asylum applications are being examined in accordance with the law

As for the people who illegally crossed the Dniester and requested protection in Moldova, the minister said that their applications are being examined in accordance with national legislation and the international conventions to which the country is a party.

In the first case, the asylum application has already been registered and will be examined according to legal procedures. The Ukrainian citizen who required medical care was transported to the hospital in Soroca after the Border Police called the 112 emergency service and requested an ambulance.

“From the standpoint of the procedures and responsibilities of these two structures subordinate to the Interior Ministry, the intervention was carried out as provided by law,” Daniella Misail-Nichitin said.

The minister explained that the person may either receive asylum after the application is examined or benefit from temporary protection, depending on the applicable procedure and the decision of the competent authorities.

According to data presented by the official, the General Inspectorate for Migration is examining approximately 459 asylum applications, 88 of which were submitted by Ukrainian citizens. At the same time, more than 61,000 people benefit from temporary protection in Moldova, most of them Ukrainian citizens.

Interior Ministry does not confirm other similar cases

Asked about statements by some political actors claiming that similar incidents had occurred, including cases resulting in the deaths of people who attempted to cross the Dniester illegally, the minister said that the authorities had not recorded any such situations.

“At least, we have not recorded such cases, and I believe that those who made such statements and know more details should contact law enforcement authorities to provide further information,” Daniella Misail-Nichitin said.

Referring to information that appeared in the public sphere about an alleged protest note sent to Ukraine, the minister said that no such document had been dispatched.

“I also discussed this issue with the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, and in fact, no protest note was sent,” the official said. According to her, the situations are being discussed at the institutional level and managed on the basis of national legislation and bilateral agreements between Moldova and Ukraine.

The minister also said that the presence of local residents near the Dniester River, who intervened in one of the incidents, did not mean that the Border Police would not have reacted in their absence. According to her, border police officers have standard operating procedures they must follow, but patrols are not permanently stationed at every point along the border, because they carry out their missions according to surveillance needs.