R' Shimon Rubinstein in a Special Interview from the Gomel Border Ahead of the Second Night in the Unconditioned Zone:

We clearly see here that the words of the rabbi from two weeks ago about the trip to Belarus, "that the Russians will be stubborn like a steel wall," are being fulfilled literally, and all the forces before us are standing with steel shields.

Initially, Rabbi Rubinstein conveyed firsthand testimony from the kabbalist, the esteemed Rabbi Yaakov Moshe Salmanowitz shlit"a, about the reason for the severe and difficult closure by the Ukrainian forces, who, despite all the suffering in front of them, do not open the roads.

He further spoke in an interview recorded on the Breslov line (02-587-5777) about the wonderful unity suddenly seen in Breslov, precisely from the pressure and distress. "People who were my friends and stopped talking to me in recent years due to the dispute, have returned here to talk to me and are showing a friendly face."

The Words of the Kabbalist R' Yaakov Moshe Salmanowitz and the Full Interview with R' Shimon Rubinstein

The Difficult Situation of Those Besieged at the Ukrainian Border

"What is happening on the ground right now is that all Breslov chassidim from all over Belarus are gathering here. It started yesterday morning, by the afternoon masses of people began to arrive, we arrived here yesterday towards sunset. They put us on buses, supposedly to cross the border to Uman, then hundreds more chassidim approached the border on foot."

"We saw Ukrainian police standing in front of us blocking the passage, we understood there was no plan and no agreement. Everything they told us was baseless, that there was some agreement regarding the entry of groups of Breslov chassidim. In fact, last night there were no minimal conditions here for the people waiting to enter."

"All day they tried to open the border through various people, various factors. As everyone knows, Minister Aryeh Deri issued a request letter to the President of Ukraine to approve the entry of the chassidim. We thought some opening would occur here, afterwards, the Israeli ambassador to Ukraine, Mr. Yoel Leon, arrived here. He stood on the Ukrainian side of the border and tried to speak."

"He began to say that it is possible to come to the country and they will not receive 14 days in isolation, there was laughter that in front of everyone they started calling him boo, Bibi go home, Deri go home..., they did not let him speak. It is a question mark altogether, if he says there are, now, close to a thousand people together and all will not be required to isolate in the country? The question of whether there is or isn't corona is a question in itself. How do you take responsibility to say such a thing? But, the main thing is that we don't enter Uman where there is a corona problem, while in the country there is no problem."

Rabbi Salmanowitz and I Hold that the Clear Reason for All the Suffering is the Imprisonment of Rabbi Berland

"Surely there is measure for measure here, whoever does not see this is blind or naive, I have no other word. I caught someone here today and told him this explicitly."

"R' Yaakov Moshe Salmanowitz is sitting here in Belarus and says this all the time - as long as Rabbi Berland is not released, the border will not open. He said this to everyone who spoke with him, yesterday he was here at the border and did not want to cross. I understood that he explicitly said he wants first to be updated on what is happening with Rabbi Berland, as we see that as long as the rabbi is behind bars, all Breslov chassidim..."

Suddenly, the Love of Friends and the Drawing Close of Hearts is Renewed

"And there are many interesting things happening here, people who haven't spoken to me for years, don't even inquire about my well-being despite being good friends in the past, but here our Rebbe brought us to such a situation that we are in the same bus, in the same four cubits, and they suddenly need help and conversations are awakening. You didn't want to be together, our Rebbe brought us to a situation by force and necessity of 'be together', one will receive from the other and there will be a state of no separation."

The Prophecy of the Esteemed Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a is Fulfilled

"Another important point to note. Rabbi Berland said last week that there is no point in traveling, because the Russians will stand like a steel wall, and indeed we see here vehicles armored like steel, perhaps they thought we would shoot at them..., this vehicle can absorb shoulder missiles. Rows of soldiers stand with steel shields, a literal steel wall."

"As soon as I came here and saw this, I understood that the rabbi's words were fully realized."

"We hope that just as Rabbi Berland at the time opened the walls (as is well known and famous that the esteemed Rabbi Berland was the one who risked his life to open the way to Uman and establish the holy gathering on Rosh Hashanah), in his merit we will merit to reach Uman for Rosh Hashanah and will not need to hold the gathering in Belarus, God forbid."