Ukraine Records 7,523 Administrative Protocols Over Illegal Border Crossings in First Half of 2026

Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service registered 7,523 administrative protocols related to illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border during the first half of 2026. The figure is about one-third lower than the monthly rate recorded in 2025, although it remains substantially higher than before Russia’s full-scale invasion.

More Than 7,500 Border-Crossing Protocols

Border guards registered 7,523 protocols for illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of Ukraine’s state border between January and June 2026, according to data from the State Border Guard Service analyzed by Opendatabot.

That corresponds to an average of approximately 1,250 protocols per month.

The figure represents administrative protocols, not a confirmed number of people found guilty of illegally crossing the border.

The Number Has Fallen Compared With 2025

The current pace is around one-third lower than the average recorded during 2025.

Last year, border guards registered 24,616 protocols for the same type of violation, compared with 26,928 in 2024.

The number of recorded protocols therefore declined for the second consecutive year after reaching its recent peak in 2024.

Most Cases Were Recorded in Three Regions

The largest concentration was recorded in Chernivtsi region, where border guards registered 2,834 protocols, accounting for 38% of the national total.

Zakarpattia followed with 2,170 protocols, or 29%, while Odesa region accounted for 997, or 13%.

Together, the three regions represented about 80% of all protocols registered during the first half of 2026.

The Figure Remains Far Above Pre-War Levels

Despite the decline, the number remains much higher than before the full-scale invasion.

For comparison, border guards registered 2,413 protocols in 2020 and 3,078 in 2021.

The number increased to 7,638 in 2022 and 8,418 in 2023 before reaching 26,928 in 2024.

A Protocol Does Not Mean a Court Has Found Someone Guilty

The State Border Guard Service’s protocol records an alleged administrative violation.

Cases involving illegal crossing or attempted illegal crossing of the state border are considered by courts under Article 204-1 of Ukraine’s Code of Administrative Offenses.

This means the 7,523 protocols should not be presented as 7,523 convictions.