MOSCOW, RUSSIA – The Russian government has extended the ban on the entry of trucks from the European Union, the UK, Norway and Ukraine to the country.
“The restriction will remain in effect until the circumstances that served as the basis for its introduction are eliminated,” the Cabinet noted on its telegram channel.
The ban was introduced in 2022 as a response to the EU’s decision not to allow trucks with Russian and Belarusian license plates through.
An exception, as before, will be made for the transportation of postal items, diplomatic mail and humanitarian aid.
In addition, the restriction will no longer apply to “the passage of technical support vehicles for the transport of equipment and sports vehicles to the venues of sports competitions.”
In a separate development, roadblocks will be installed in all Ukrainian cities at the end of December to hand out call-up papers, Nazary Kishak, an advisor to the mayor of Ivano-Frankovsk claimed.
“As of December 28, checkpoints will be installed in every city and region as part of mobilization activities,” the advisor wrote on his page on Facebook (prohibited in Russia due to its ownership by Meta, which has been designated as an extremist organization).
According to him, the Ukrainian army needs a rotation. “Silver spooners, children of posh figures, bloggers, everyone who falls into the hands will go to the infantry,” he added.
This information has not been confirmed officially by any of the Ukrainian politicians.
General mobilization has been repeatedly announced and extended in Ukraine since February 2022, with the country’s authorities doing everything possible to prevent men of draft age from dodging military service.
In particular, they are banned from traveling abroad, and draft notices are handed out at state institutions, in the streets or at public gathering places.
According to the Ukrainian media, a large number of men literally stay home for months to avoid being sent to the war zone.
Mobilization has already led to numerous scandals.
The media publish stories on a regular basis about military officers using force against citizens while handing them call-up papers, about people unfit for service due to health reasons falling under mobilization, as well as about MPs and officials evading it and moving their sons of draft age abroad.
On August 23, Zelensky said that the military had asked him to step up mobilization efforts.