Number of illegal attempts to cross Ukraine’s border is declining — SBGU

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine is recording a decrease in the number of men attempting to illegally leave the country.

This was stated by the agency’s spokesperson Andriy Demchenko on air during a telethon.

According to him, since the beginning of the year border guards have detained around 9,900 violators, the majority of whom were stopped at the border section with Romania. Dozens of detentions are recorded daily, however this figure is significantly lower than in previous periods.

“But I will note that over the past few months we are seeing a continuing trend toward a decrease in those wishing to illegally cross the border,” — Demchenko said.

The SBGU spokesperson particularly emphasized that the current figures are substantially lower compared to 2024 or 2025.

Since the summer, the European Union has stopped providing protection to Ukrainian men of military age. Refugee status is retained only by those men who arrived in the EU before these restrictions were introduced. Switzerland applies a similar practice, despite not being a member of the European Union.

Under these circumstances, Ukrainian men who venture to make illegal crossings through the mountains are attempting to obtain other forms of asylum in EU countries.