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| - More than 1,000 Hasidic Jewish pilgrims including children were massed at the Ukraine-Belarus border on Wednesday after Kiev denied them entry because of coronavirus restrictions. Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews head to the central Ukrainian town of Uman every Jewish New Year -- which falls on September 18-20 this year -- to visit the tomb of Rabbi Nahman, the founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement. The believers departed for Uman this year even though both the Ukrainian and Israeli governments last month called on Hasidic Jews not to travel. Ukraine has banned foreigners from entering until late September because of a spike in coronavirus infections, but the pilgrims -- from countries including France, the United States and Israel -- attempted to bypass the restrictions by going via Belarus. While Ukraine said about 1,000 people were at the border crossing, Belarus border guards said 1,064 people had attempted to cross since Monday, including 242 children. Both sides said they would supply the massed crowds with supplies, though pilgrims have complained of being left cold and hungry. The head of Ukraine's border guard Sergiy Deyneko addressed the pilgrims in a video released by his service on Wednesday saying no one would be allowed to enter the country. "I respect your traditions and customs, but this year you will not be able to get to Uman. I am ready to repeat this, if necessary, a thousand times," he said. The video shows hundreds of Hasidic Jews trying to persuade Ukrainian border guards to make an exception. "We are ready for any conditions and instructions on the coronavirus. Just let us in!" read a handwritten sign carried by one of the religious believers in the video. The pilgrims are currently between borders crossings after the Belarus side allowed them to pass. "At the moment, the situation does not allow us to let an additional number of Hasidic Jews to enter Ukraine," Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Yevgeniy Yenin told Ukraina 24 TV channel. Hundreds of law enforcement officers were deployed on the Ukrainian side in the northern Chernigiv region, spending the night in army tents, an AFP correspondent reported from the scene. "There have been no provocations, no tense situations since yesterday," said Ukrainian border guard spokesman Demchenko. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Wednesday asked his government to negotiate with Kiev to create a "green corridor" and allow the pilgrims passage to holy sites in Ukraine, according to a spokesperson. Ties between Belarus and Ukraine have been strained after Lukashenko accused Kiev of stoking political unrest and mass protests that erupted after he claimed victory in disputed elections last month. Lukashenko's spokesperson Natalya Eismont said Belarus was ready to provide transport for the believers to sites in Ukraine and then back to the airport in Minsk. The video released by the border guards showed dozens of ultra-Orthodox pilgrims in traditional garb praying with books in their hands in the middle of a road. Suitcases and bags were seen lying on the road next to tents near the border crossing. Ukrainian border guards carrying riot shields looked on, forming a cordon. Both Ukraine and Israel are keen to avoid a spike in infections, with Kiev closing the borders to foreigners until late September while Israel is set to impose a three-week lockdown from Friday. Ukraine has reported more than 162,000 cases of coronavirus and over 3,340 fatalities. bur-photo-osh/jbr/jxb
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