Armed soldiers on border with Ukraine: Belarusian fans returning after football match
Belarusian border guards copied down personal data of footbal fans who were returning to Belarus from the Ukrainian city of Lviv where a qualifier Ukraine-Belarus took place on Saturday, belultras.by, the website of Belarusian soccer fans, reports.
A border guard asked whether the people had visited the match and then took the numbers of their car.
The guards also put down personal data of passengers of trains.
Even armed military and riot policemen were seen during the inspection on the border.
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The fans’ names were added to special lists, Radio Liberty reports. Lyudmila Ramanovich, who witnessed the situation, said that that the authorities might start bothering those enlisted with questions – e.g. why they had been to Ukraine, whether they had hoisted white-red-white flags during the match, who had invited them, etc.
‘Together Forever’
On September 5, the qualifying football match Belarus-Ukraine wa held in Lviv. Before the match, a joint march of Ukrainian and Belarusian fans under the banner of solidarity was organized. It was reported that Belarusians had bought over 1,000 tickets. The match ended with the score 3:1 in favor of Ukraine.
The match in Lviv showed that Belarusian and Ukrainian fans are on pretty good good terms. Shortly before the game about a thousand of Belarusian fans could not help hiding their emotions towards Russia, shouting “He who does not jump is a Moskal’ and singing the song ‘Putin Khu*lo’ [Putin is a dickhead] then, together with Ukrainian friends. They were holding banners ‘Brotherhood of Conscience’ and ‘For Freedom – Ours and Yours’. Many were dressed in shirts with the image of Ukrainian and Belarusian flags and the words ‘Together Forever’.
During the match, Ukrainians greeted the Belarusian sector with shouts of ‘Zhyvie Belarus!’ [Long Live Belarus!]’, and in response they heard ‘Glory to Ukraine!’. Belarusian fans in Lviv presented white-red-white symbols and coat of arms ‘Pahonia’ [Pursuit] which are commonly associated with the Belarusian opposition. In 1995 they were replaced by those reminiscent of Soviet symbolism. None of the fans hoisted an official green-and-red Belarusian flag.
Leader of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko expressed gratitude to the Belarusian and Ukrainian fans, who were at a football match Ukraine-Belarus in Lviv and also said‘Zhyvie Belarus!’.
