A part of the Chornobyl zone, namely 695.2 hectares of territory, will be transferred to the permanent use of Ukrainian border guards for the construction of fortifications.

Source : President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's decree dated 5 December; Colonel Andrii Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Details : It was reported that the total area of the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve is proposed to be 226,269.5 hectares.

The Cabinet of Ministers (Ukrainian government) is ordered to ensure that measures are taken within six months to expropriate land plots 45 metres wide along the state border of Ukraine, which are in permanent use of the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve (state-owned land of the exclusion zone and the zone of unconditional (mandatory) resettlement of the territory affected by radioactive contamination as a result of the Chornobyl disaster), with a total area of 695.2 hectares, and to provide them for permanent use by military units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

As Demchenko explained to Ukrainska Pravda, in accordance with the provisions of the Land Code of Ukraine and the Law of Ukraine On the State Border of Ukraine, border guards continue to register land plots along the state border with a width of 30-50 metres , and along the state border of Ukraine with Russia and Belarus – up to 2 kilometres wide – for the construction and maintenance of fortifications . 

Among other things, joint work has been organised with central executive authorities.

It is noted that state-owned land in community or private ownership, as well as the territory of the nature reserve fund, needs to be expropriated for this.

In accordance with the Law of Ukraine On the Nature Reserve Fund of Ukraine, in order to expropriate land of the nature reserve fund, it is necessary to carry out a procedure for changing the borders of facilities and territories of the nature reserve fund. This decision is made by the body that created such a facility by its decision.

All reserves and protected areas are divided into two categories – national and local.

For facilities of national importance, the decision is made by issuing a presidential decree. 

Zelenskyy's decree dated 5 December defines the change in the borders of the Chornobyl Radiation and Ecological Biosphere Reserve. Prior to this, the necessary work was carried out to coordinate the position in the central executive authorities, explains Demchenko.

Quote from Demchenko : "The decree provides 45-metre-wide land plots for permanent use by military units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine for the construction, arrangement and maintenance of engineering and fortification structures, fences, border signs, border clearings and communications.

This will allow us to continue to build up the engineering equipment of the border, and create a comprehensive system of control over border sections based on border engineering infrastructure and technical assets of border protection."

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