Russia has established a border zone on the border with Belarus

The Russian FSB has established a border zone regime on the border with Belarus.

According to the order of the director of the FSB of Russia, Alexander Bortnikov, regional departments in the Smolensk, Pskov and Bryansk regions will have to establish places and times for passage and entry into the border zone, as well as install warning signs.

The published order of the head of the FSB states that border zones are established to “create the necessary conditions for protecting the state border of the Russian Federation.”

It is noted that border zones on the borders of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation with Belarus are being introduced for the first time; they did not exist before.

The border zone (on the Russian side) will begin to operate from the beginning of next week. The FSB order was registered with the Ministry of Justice on January 26 and should come into force 10 days later.

It is not yet clear what exactly will change for Russians who will travel to Belarus and back. Obviously, Russian citizens will not need a foreign passport: in 2006, the countries entered into an agreement according to which citizens of both countries can freely cross the border.

An international treaty is stronger than an order from the FSB. But it does not prohibit the department from requiring the presentation of an internal passport when crossing the border zone.

It is also unknown what inspection will be like at the border zones and how long it will take to cross the border.