MOSCOW. Jan 18 (Interfax-AVN) - Border guards on the Russian- Ukrainian frontier have opened fire to detain violators who tried to break through to Russia in a car, a spokesman for the Federal Border Guard Service (FBGS) told Interfax-Military News Agency on Friday.
The border guards had to make warning shots to prevent the violators from crossing into the Rostov region illegally, the spokesman said. When the violator car was stopped and examined, the border guards seized from it RUB500,000 (USD16,340) worth of smuggled cargo. The cargo was handed to customs officers and investigation was launched into the incident.
The activity of violators remains high on the Ukrainian- Russian border, the spokesman said. In December 2001 servicemen of the western regional border guard department prevented over 40 attempts at smuggling goods worth a total of over RUB1.2m (USD39,217). According to preliminary data, the smuggling tendencies are even more visible this month. Taking it into account the department leadership reinforced checkpoints and patrols with the most experienced personnel.