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Ukrainian woman tries to smuggle 8-year-old son to EU in suitcase

This is the second attempt by the 50-year-old Ukrainian woman to come to Poland with her son without the required documents

WARSAW, June 16. /TASS/. A Ukrainian citizen tried to smuggle her 8-year-old son to Poland by hiding him in a suitcase, a spokesperson for the Border Guard Department in Przemysl, Anna Michalska, said on Friday.

"While inspecting a train on the Kiev-Przemysl route, border guards uncovered an eight-year-old boy in one of the passengers’ suitcase. His mother tried to smuggle him to Poland hiding him under a layer of clothes. The child had no documents allowing him to cross the border," she noted.

According to Michalska, this is the second attempt by the 50-year-old Ukrainian woman to come to Poland with her son without the required documents. They were detained on June 11, the day the visa waiver program between Ukraine and the European Union came into effect. A 200-zloty fine ($50) was imposed on the Ukrainian national for abetting an illegal border crossing.

As of June 11, Ukrainian citizens who have biometric passports can travel to the EU’s Schengen zone as tourists for a period of up to 90 days once every six months. The liberalization of visa requirements does not give Ukrainian nationals the right to work or study in Europe.