Today, on May 28, Russia, the country with the longest state border in the world, marks the Border Guards Day.

      Russia shares land borders with 14 countries such as Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, North Korea, as well as South Ossettia and Abkhazia, which are both recognized as sovereign states by Russia. It also has maritime borders with Japan by the Sea of Okhotsk, and the U.S. state of Alaska by the Bering Strait.

      The border guards protect Russia’s 61,000-kilometer border, using all possible devices, such as radars, laser control systems, unmanned aerial vehicles, CCTV cameras, night vision equipment and other automatic information collection devices.

      The border guarding is one of the most dangerous jobs in Russia, as it includes fighting against massive illegal immigration from former Soviet Central Asian republics, as well as a huge inflow of heroin from Afghanistan, terrorist attacks and other criminal deliveries.

      Today, Vladimir Streltsov, a deputy head of Russia’s Federal Security Service, said Russia will continue strengthening its border security, replacing outdated protective installations with modern monitoring equipment.

      The Border Guards Day was found by Soviet Union authorities and was first celebrated in May 28, 1958. Now this date is also marked in Ukraine, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. This day is traditionally celebrated with numerous official events, concerts, meetings, authority's speeches and awards ceremonies. However, Russian border guards don't leave their posts even on holiday and let civilians celebrate for them.

      

Sources: calend.ru RIA Novosti Image: inmoment.ru