Ukraine Completely Closes Its Border on March 27

On Friday, March 27, at the end of the day Ukraine will completely close the state border for entry and exit, all this due to the spread of coronavirus infection. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a televised address on Thursday. According to Zelensky, on Friday all passenger communications with foreign countries will be terminated. Diplomatic missions and Ukrainian diasporas will have to take care of Ukrainian citizens who remain abroad. “We are facing a difficult choice between citizens who are still abroad and the security of 40 million citizens within the country,” Zelensky said. He promised that they would not forget about Ukrainians abroad and would gradually return them home, "taking into account the epidemic situation." Earlier, Ukraine closed the borders for foreign citizens. Ukraine detected 169 cases of coronavirus infection, five people died. The country has introduced strict quarantine measures, the metro in large cities does not work, and public transport is limited. The border with Russia for Russian citizens is not closed. However, on Friday, March 27, air traffic between Russia and foreign countries ceases. The Russian Foreign Ministry compiled lists of Russians who would like to return to their homeland before March 26. For those who managed to register earlier than this date, they promised to arrange airplanes. A special train was also arranged from Kiev to Moscow. It is reported that about 800 Russian citizens will leave Ukraine on Friday and on its way back it will take Ukrainian citizens from Russia. Many countries have announced border closures or severe restrictions in connection with the epidemic. The borders of the Schengen area are closed to all foreigners who do not have a residence permit in the EU.