How Ukraine was ‘Discovered’ by CIS Inspectors
Officials in charge of border-control authorities in Russia, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Ukraine held their 44th regular meeting recently, this time in Kyiv. The result was nothing new, nothing to make the situation at the CIS frontiers any better. The delegates mostly shared professional experience, yet everybody seemed satisfied with the meeting, largely due to the presentations staged for the guests at the capital and in Boryspil. Some of them admitted that they had seen with their own eyes that Ukraine was confidently in the lead, compared to many neighboring countries, in keeping its borders closed for unauthorized visitors, and that its legislation was better in this sense. Moreover, they openly marveled at Ukrainian forensic equipment. There is a possibility that, after further study, this equipment will be recommended as standard for the CIS countries.
What interested the CIS experts most, however, was the Ukrainian legal framework, particularly Ukraine’s Law “On Responsibility for Air Passenger Transport across the State Border of Ukraine without Proper Documents Authorizing Entry to Ukraine,” enacted in January 2002. The bill was initiated by the State Border Protection Committee and, after enactment, noticeably decreased the influx of illegal immigrants through airports; besides, it provided budget receipts through fines levied on the airlines and travel firms at fault. Boryspil Airport’s statistics serve as a graphic example: in 2002, its immigration control detected 1,500 potential transgressors; in 2001 it was 2,500. The law of January 2002 envisages fines and, as soon as it took effect, the number of unauthorized entries went down to 283, with 24 airlines paying fines worth almost UAH 600,000. “Fines make the air carriers more disciplined and we are sure that this channel of illegal immigration will be blocked soon,” says Major General Mykola Hulyk, Commander of the ‘Kyiv’ Special Checkpoint, “so it’s quite possible that the unwelcome guests will concentrate on the airports of Minsk, Chisinau, and Sheremetyevo.”
CIS experts showed quite some interest in special equipment developed in Lviv and Kyiv. Well they should, considering that the OAD-2 inspection kit was purchased by the papal security service, and that Israeli- and Slovak-made express explosive test units are five times more expensive than their Ukrainian analogs.
The TTT Firm (Lviv) demonstrated several truly unique developments, including an optical processor-controlled shooting range simulator for the PM and Fort pistols, allowing 10 - 25 meter marksmanship exercises without actually spending any ammunition. Another interesting innovation is a set of explosive and narcotic drug revealing reagents. It sells at $50-70 (compared to foreign analogs worth $250-270). Liga Ltd. (Kyiv) demonstrated DIXI 04 passport control system, with every workstation being a miniature forensic laboratory allowing the instantly scanning and analyzing of ID papers, using a powerful database. This equipment is being used by the Russian militia and Baltic police forces. One workstation (monitor, mouse-camera, and program block) costs $2,000. Judging by the guests’ commentaries, Ukrainian developments will attract close attention from CIS border guards. One thing is certain: they badly need such equipment.
