On October 15, two Ukrainian border guards illegally entered Moldova, traveling on a motorboat, while trying to detain a citizen from the neighboring country, who was swimming across the Dniester. The officers arrived near the locality of Holoșnița, where they assaulted the man.
Locals intervened to offer help, and a Border Police patrol took over the two and led them to the Cosăuți Border Police Sector, writes newsmaker.md. The Prosecutor’s Office ordered the start of criminal proceedings for the illegal crossing of the state border.
The man is 49 years old and originally from Kiev. He was admitted to the traumatology department of the Soroca District Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a cerebral concussion.
The Ukrainian citizen has sought asylum in Moldova, and the two border guards were handed over to the Ukrainian authorities under a bilateral agreement. The weapons they had on them and the boat were confiscated as part of the criminal investigation launched by the Moldovan authorities.
Following the incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova sent a protest note to the Ukrainian embassy. The disclosure was made by the president of the Parliamentary Commission for National Security, Defense and Public Order, Lilian Carp, on Radio Moldova.
“We see an attempt by the Ukrainian border guards who, unfortunately, have allowed themselves to cross the border lines, which is a serious violation. In relation to this illegal crossing, there are essentially protest notes to the Ukrainian embassy and other Ukrainian authorities. (…) Nothing justifies the behavior of some border guards, regardless of whether it was an illegal crossing. What the Ukrainian border guards did does not fit into any ethics or any normality,” the deputy declared.
In the parliamentarian’s opinion, following the incident, the Ukrainian is most likely to receive asylum in Moldova.