7,500 protocols for illegal border crossings in six months: Bukovina leads

80% of cases are concentrated in just three regions: where people most often attempt to cross the border illegally

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28 Aug 2026

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статистика перетину кордону за півроку (Опендатамедіа)

In the first half of 2026 Ukrainian border guards drew up 7 523 reports for illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border. On average this is about 1 250 reports per month. Compared with last year the figure fell by roughly a third, but remains significantly higher than before the start of the full-scale war. This was reported on 28 August 2026 by Opendatabot based on data from the State Border Guard Service and the State Judicial Administration.

Most such violations were recorded in Chernivtsi Oblast. In the first six months of 2026 border guards in Bukovyna drew up 2 834 reports — that is 38% of the national total. In fact nearly 4 out of every 10 recorded cases fell on this region. The second position is held by Zakarpattia Oblast — 2 170 reports, or 29% of all cases. Odesa Oblast accounted for another 997 reports, which is 13%. Together Bukovyna, Zakarpattia and Odesa made up 80% of all reports for illegal crossing or attempted crossing of the state border in the first half of 2026.

The statistics have changed especially noticeably in Bukovyna. According to Opendatabot, the number of such violations in Chernivtsi Oblast is now roughly 30 times higher than before the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. For the past two years this region has held the top spot by number of reports drawn up.

The increase over the years of the large-scale war is clear in the overall statistics as well. In 2020 border guards drew up 2 413 reports, in 2021 — 3 078, in 2022 — 7 638, and in 2023 — 8 418. A sharp jump occurred in 2024, when 26 928 reports were recorded. 2024 was the peak year: then an average of about 2 250 reports per month were issued, and the annual number more than tripled. In 2025 the trend changed for the first time — the number of reports fell by 9%, to 24 616 for the year. The decline continued in the first half of 2026.

For comparison, before the full-scale Russian invasion about 2.7 thousand such reports per year were drawn up in Ukraine. Opendatabot notes that the current level is still almost 10 times higher than the pre-war one.

The situation has also changed noticeably in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Before the large-scale war such reports were virtually not recorded there. In 2022 there were only 5, in 2024 — already 1 209, in 2025 — 1 109, and in just the first half of 2026 — 377.

An important nuance: a report drawn up by border guards is not yet a fine or a final finding of guilt. Cases under Article 204-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (КУпАП) on illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border are considered by courts. According to the State Judicial Administration, during 2025 courts considered 24 519 such cases. In roughly half of the cases people were fined — rulings were issued against 12 628 individuals.

At the same time another 10 493 cases, or about 43%, were closed by courts due to lack of an event or absence of an administrative offense. 57 people received administrative arrest. Thus a significant portion of the reports drawn up by border guards ultimately did not lead to punishment. Overall for 2025 courts imposed 85.97 million hryvnias in fines for such violations. On average this is about 6.8 thousand hryvnias per person. At the same time only 28% of the total amount was paid voluntarily — approximately 24 million hryvnias.

For illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border Article 204-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses provides for a fine from 3 400 to 8 500 hryvnias or administrative arrest for up to 15 days. If the violation is committed again within a year or by a group of persons, the fine may range from 8 500 to 13 600 hryvnias. The law also allows confiscation of the means used to commit the offense.

Separately, the Criminal Code provides liability for cases of illegal border crossing specified by law. Depending on the circumstances, the punishment can reach up to 8 years imprisonment.

Thus, in 2026 the number of recorded attempts at illegal border crossing is decreasing, but the scale of the phenomenon remains significant. The main directions remain the western and south-western border regions: just the Chernivtsi, Zakarpattia and Odesa Oblasts account for 80% of all reports drawn up this year.