The Slovak authorities announced on Wednesday the closure of all border crossing points with Ukraine, citing security reasons, following the Russian bombings on the Ukrainian city of Ujgorod, located near the border.
Slovakia has decided to temporarily close its border with Ukraine, amid escalating tensions in the border area and Russian attacks targeting the Ukrainian city of Uzhgorod, located near Slovak territory.
The announcement was made on Wednesday, May 13, by the customs administration in Bratislava, which stated that all checkpoints at the border with Ukraine will remain closed “until further notice”.
“For security reasons, all border control posts with Ukraine will be closed (…) until further notice,” is stated in the announcement quoted by The Guardian.
According to Slovak authorities, the measure was taken following the bombings launched by Russia on the city of Ujgorod, located in western Ukraine, very close to the border with Slovakia. The area is considered strategic, being an important transit point between Ukraine and the European Union states.
So far, the authorities in Bratislava have not specified how long the border will remain closed, nor whether the decision fully affects the traffic of people and goods.