{"id":609367,"date":"2026-08-28T11:31:23","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T08:31:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/2026\/08\/609367\/7-500-protocols-for-illegal-border-crossings-in-six-months-bukovina-leads\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T11:31:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T08:31:26","slug":"7-500-protocols-for-illegal-border-crossings-in-six-months-bukovina-leads","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/korabelov.info\/en\/2026\/08\/609367\/7-500-protocols-for-illegal-border-crossings-in-six-months-bukovina-leads\/","title":{"rendered":"7,500 protocols for illegal border crossings in six months: Bukovina leads"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the first half of 2026<\/strong> Ukrainian border guards drew up 7 523 reports<\/strong> for illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border. On average this is about 1 250 reports per month<\/strong>. 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<\/strong> on 28 August 2026<\/strong> by Opendatabot<\/a> based on data from the State Border Guard Service and the State Judicial Administration.<\/p>\n

Most such violations were recorded in Chernivtsi Oblast<\/strong>. In the first six months of 2026<\/strong> border guards in Bukovyna drew up 2 834 reports<\/strong> \u2014 that is 38%<\/strong> of the national total. In fact nearly 4 out of every 10<\/strong> recorded cases fell on this region. The second position is held by Zakarpattia Oblast<\/strong> \u2014 2 170 reports<\/strong>, or 29%<\/strong> of all cases. Odesa Oblast<\/strong> accounted for another 997 reports<\/strong>, which is 13%<\/strong>. Together Bukovyna, Zakarpattia and Odesa made up 80%<\/strong> of all reports for illegal crossing or attempted crossing of the state border in the first half of 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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

The increase over the years of the large-scale war is clear in the overall statistics as well. In 2020<\/strong> border guards drew up 2 413 reports<\/strong>, in 2021<\/strong> \u2014 3 078<\/strong>, in 2022<\/strong> \u2014 7 638<\/strong>, and in 2023<\/strong> \u2014 8 418<\/strong>. A sharp jump occurred in 2024<\/strong>, when 26 928 reports<\/strong> were recorded. 2024<\/strong> was the peak year: then an average of about 2 250 reports per month<\/strong> were issued, and the annual number more than tripled. In 2025<\/strong> the trend changed for the first time \u2014 the number of reports fell by 9%<\/strong>, to 24 616<\/strong> for the year. The decline continued in the first half of 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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

The situation has also changed noticeably in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast<\/strong>. Before the large-scale war such reports were virtually not recorded there. In 2022<\/strong> there were only 5<\/strong>, in 2024<\/strong> \u2014 already 1 209<\/strong>, in 2025<\/strong> \u2014 1 109<\/strong>, and in just the first half of 2026<\/strong> \u2014 377<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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 (\u041a\u0423\u043f\u0410\u041f)<\/strong> on illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border are considered by courts. According to the State Judicial Administration, during 2025<\/strong> courts considered 24 519 such cases<\/strong>. In roughly half of the cases people were fined \u2014 rulings were issued against 12 628 individuals<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

At the same time another 10 493 cases<\/strong>, or about 43%<\/strong>, were closed by courts due to lack of an event or absence of an administrative offense. 57 people<\/strong> received administrative arrest. Thus a significant portion of the reports drawn up by border guards ultimately did not lead to punishment. Overall for 2025<\/strong> courts imposed 85.97 million hryvnias in fines<\/strong> for such violations. On average this is about 6.8 thousand hryvnias per person<\/strong>. At the same time only 28%<\/strong> of the total amount was paid voluntarily \u2014 approximately 24 million hryvnias<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border Article 204-1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses<\/strong> provides for a fine from 3 400 to 8 500 hryvnias<\/strong> or administrative arrest for up to 15 days<\/strong>. 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<\/strong>. The law also allows confiscation of the means used to commit the offense.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Thus, in 2026<\/strong> 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<\/strong> account for 80%<\/strong> of all reports drawn up this year.<\/p>\n

Earlier we wrote:<\/h3>\n