Minsk Citizens Were Promised Fines For Walking In The City Center

• 23.01.2026, 9:37

In what case?

OSVOD employees conduct raids in the center of Minsk, where one can often meet people walking along the frozen Svisloch. In case of refusal to leave the ice, rescuers can call the police, and then face a fine, said on air CTV.

In Minsk, there are more and more cases of citizens walking on the ice of the river Svisloch, often used to shorten the way. Sometimes you can even meet families with children.

But rescuers urge caution. Beneath the snow coat, there are unnoticeable scour holes, cracks and areas with currents, where the ice can be particularly thin, even at shallow depths. It is considered safe to cover a thickness of 7 centimeters, but it is almost impossible to visually assess it, especially near vegetation, near the shore or in places where streams flow into the river.

- There may be ice here. Last year I fished here from the ice, and the water was already flowing under that bank. You have to be doubly careful on the river. There are generally accepted rules. And the fact that, let's say, they require life jackets, that all this is controlled, I think it is very good. Because, you see how trampled the roads are.

It's not the fishermen who trampled them. A woman comes with a girl: can I cross to the other side? I say: lady, people have built bridges to cross to the other side," said one of the fishermen.

- At the moment, there are no incidents in Minsk. But it has always been a problem that people drown exactly in winter on the ice, when they do not understand the essence of the problem. When they are more confident, confidence ruins people. You should always be afraid and always wear a life jacket," stressed the official representative of Minsk city organization "OSVOD" Anna Novikova.

Fines for going out on the ice without a life jacket in Belarus are not yet in place. However, in case of refusal to leave the dangerous area, an OSVOD or EMERCOM employee has the right to call the police, and the case may end with a warning or a fine.