The construction of a new segment of a massive fortification project nicknamed the “Great Wall of Ukraine,” which will stretch along two thousand kilometers of Ukraine’s land border with Russia, will start this week in Kharkiv region next to Luhansk region, which is partially occupied by Russian-backed militants.
Ukrainian officials say that the Wall is to enhance national security and bring Ukraine closer to NATO membership, while Ukraine’s Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk claims that it would serve as Europe’s de-facto eastern border, Ukraine Today reports.
The government plans to allocate over $1 million in the project by the end of March.
Oleh Slobodyan, of Ukrainian State Border Service said that the first phase of equipping the Ukrainian-Russian border will start in areas under government control, including Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv and Luhansk regions.
See unian.info’s video section for more of the latest news from Ukraine in video from Ukraine Today, Ukraine’s 24-hour English-language news channel.