Kyiv has rejected Minsk's proposal to allow Ukrainians to cross the border to pick mushrooms

The Belarusian Border Committee has announced its alleged readiness to organize a seasonal simplified entry procedure for residents of Ukraine’s border regions to the “Olmanskie Marshes” nature reserve in the Brest Region, for the purpose of gathering wild berries and mushrooms. 

Minsk has proposed using three border crossing points—“Mutvitsa,” “Khinichev,” and “Selyshche”—in the direction of the Ukrainian villages of Drozdyn, Berezove, and Poznan in the Rivne region, claiming that the relevant proposals have already been conveyed through diplomatic channels.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS) categorically rejected this initiative on security grounds. Ukrainian border guards emphasized that the entire border area with Belarus remains a high-risk zone. Due to the threat to people’s lives and health, the Ukrainian side will not agree to allow citizens to travel to the territory of a neighboring state that supports Russian aggression.

This information was reported by the Belarusian Border Committee on Telegram. 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that, under Russian influence, Belarus continues to prepare infrastructure near the Ukrainian border that could be used for a potential expansion of aggression.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russia is attempting to draw Belarus deeper into the war against Ukraine and is considering new scenarios for aggression from its territory.

Belarus’s self-proclaimed president, Alexander Lukashenko, held a meeting on military equipment and announced the preparation of a new state armament program for 2026–2030.