Ukraine has relocated checkpoints in order to pull six settlements out of the grey zone
On Friday, in the Donetsk region, a new entry/exit checkpoint, Mayorsk, was opened. It will replace the Zaytseve checkpoint which was operating along the Horlivka-Artemivsk corridor.
The decision to relocate the Zaytseve checkpoint closer to the boundary was made two weeks earlier, as reported on the website of the State Border Service of Ukraine.
"The new location of the checkpoint will bring towns such as Zaytseve, Mayorsk, Kurdyumivka, Otradivka, Mykolaivka, and Kodema out of the grey zone, which will reduce social tensions and eliminate the need for residents of these areas to cross the checkpoint to enter Ukraine," the statement reads.
The relocation of the checkpoint also aims to strengthen border control and reduce the ability of criminal elements and secret subversive groups to enter the territory of Ukraine.
The Mayorsk checkpoint has been built in compliance with advanced technology that reduces waiting time for people travelling in both directions. 29 work stations for border guard service inspectors were organized at the checkpoint on four entry lanes and four exit lanes, as well as a separate traffic path for local residents. Traffic capacity for those crossing the border on foot will increase twofold compared to the Zaytseve checkpoint’s capabilities. Overall, the traffic capacity of the checkpoint is about 7,000 – 8,000 people and 2,000 vehicles. There is also the ability for contra flow lane reversal.
Apart from Mayorsk, four other checkpoints, Marinka, Novotroitske, Gnutove, and pedestrian checkpoint Stanytsia Luhanska, are in the Donbas.
Over the summer, checkpoints operated from 6:00 to 20:00, and at the end of August switched to autumn operational hours, from 7:00 to 18:30.