Blog The Great Ukrainian Wall

The Great Ukrainian wall 

Related news article:  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/new-iron-curtains-motivated-by-fear-of-putin-islamists-and-immigration-walls-are-being-built-across-eastern-europe-10205252.html


So it seems designed to keep in or out the hordes along the Russian border, (apparently), all 1,974.04 km (1,226.61 miles) of it on land.

Fictive interview with Kiev gov spokesperson:

Reporter:   A lot has been discussed or proposed since Poroshenko's annoucement last september on the construction of a defensive wall to keep out the Russian hordes from our territory.  Can you please update us ?

Gov S: As you know, President Poroshenko confirmed at the end of March that the buidling of the wall is to continue for most of the border with Russia, indeed there more than 85 miles  of anti-tank ditches already dug near to Kharkiv. It is our modern version of Finland’s Mannerheim line of fortifications against the Soviet Union.

Reporter: at what cost?


G S: 300 million hryvni (US$12.8 million) has been set aside  to begin engineering work in 2015.  Moreover, the Polish government has been very kind in providing additional funding  to the tune of $100 million as part of a package for this essential modernisation of our borders.  This was annouced during Bronislaw Komorowski, the Polish President during his visit to Kiev recently.

Reporter: and what about the part that is held by the separatists?

G S:  President Poroshenko stated that “At the same time, today our main task is to build defensive fortifications on the line of contact with the illegal armed groups in the Donbas [a region of eastern Ukraine].” I want to add that the government has set aside about 800 million hryvni (US$34 million) for defensive structures in the Donbas.

Reporter: Can you give us more details on the structure of the defensive wall?


G S: what I can tell is what is already known in public.  It includes  the actual steel wall,  but also other fortifications which will have watchtowers, 4,000 army dugouts, as well as trenches for soldiers, and a barbed wire position running parallel to the wall, with a no-man’s land between  Russia's & our border. This will be backed up with armored units &  sophisticated surveillance equipment to counter Russian invasions.

Reporter: what is the purpose of this?

G S:  As Prime Minister  Yatsenyuk stated quite catergorically last october, "this is our line of defense, which will provide the Ukrainian Armed Forces with the first line of protection against the aggressor, which is the Russian Federation. Futhermore, he added that "In fact, it is the equipment of the European Union eastern border".  "“No one will provide us the visa-free regime with the E.U. if there is no border,”

Have you noticed something odd? Yes it isn't quite complete and the barbed wire is facing Ukraine.


In reality:

The wall is intended to be electrified and mines placed as well to deter intruders. It is estimated that the cost of 1 metre of wall might be 2 000 - 5 000 $. So, for 2000 km,  that's quite a huge gap in the budget that significantly not has been 'officially' earmarked by Kiev or the EU.

 Comments

  EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Maya Kosyanchich recently said that:

  “The EU supports integrated border management in Ukraine, in particular through budget aid worth €60 million. The payouts [...] are uncommitted. The amount of the new payment is not yet known. This program was approved in 2010. The financing agreement was signed in 2011. That “Wall” project was not part of the conditionality.”

Apparently that has fallen on deafs ears in Kiev since they have planned to spend a substantial part of the EU aid package on the construction of the wall & associated fortifications.

An insight into the mindset in Kiev:


"In fact, the more Russia looks like a modern day horde with disintegrating political and social institutions and a crumbling economy, with a lying, sniggering Great Leader clowning before adoring television audiences, the greater temptation there is to erect a kind of Great Wall of China to keep the barbarians out."
 Alexei Bayer, Kyiv Post



Sources:

http://www.ibtimes.com/great-wall-ukraine-priority-petro-poroshenko-says-donbas-defense-construction-set-1862040

http://www.microsofttranslator.com/bv.aspx?from=ru&to=en&a=http%3A%2F%2Fria.ru%2Feurope%2F20150410%2F1057746850.html



http://russia-insider.com/en/poland-grants-ukraine-100-million-loan-wal-lagainst-russia/5624

http://en.censor.net.ua/photo_news/307197
/yatsenyuk_visited_construction_site_of_the_wall_on_russian_federation_border_this_is_our_protection