Russia–Ukraine border facts for kids
The Russia–Ukraine border is the official line that separates Russia and Ukraine. This border crosses land through five regions in Russia and five regions in Ukraine. However, because of the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in 2014, the actual border is different from the one officially recognized by the United Nations. As of 2024, Russia controls a large part of Ukraine's land.
In 2016, the head of Ukraine's border service, Viktor Nazarenko, said that Ukraine did not control about 409.3 kilometers (254.3 miles) of its border with Russia. This area was controlled by groups that supported Russia. These groups were part of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic. Russia officially took over these areas in September 2022, seven months after its full invasion of Ukraine began. Ukraine also lost control of the Kerch Strait in 2014 when Russia took over Crimea. Russian checkpoints were then set up at the border with Ukraine's Kherson Oblast.
In 2014, after losing Crimea and parts of the Donbas region, Ukraine started a plan called "Project Wall." The goal was to build a strong border barrier to stop Russia from moving further into the country. This barrier was expected to cost around $520 million and take four years to build. Construction began in 2015 but stopped when Russia launched its full invasion in 2022.
Since 2018, Ukraine has put in place special rules for Russian citizens entering the country. On January 1, 2018, Ukraine started using biometric controls, like fingerprint scans. On March 22, 2018, then-President Petro Poroshenko signed a law requiring all Russian visitors to tell Ukrainian authorities why they were traveling to Ukraine before they arrived. On November 7, 2018, Ukraine's laws changed. It became a crime for Russians to cross the border illegally "to harm the country's interest." This could lead to up to three years in prison.
Since November 30, 2018, Ukraine has generally banned all Russian men aged 16–60 from entering the country. There can be exceptions for special reasons, like family emergencies.
Since March 1, 2020, Ukrainian citizens must use their "international passport" to enter Russia. However, they can still use their "internal passport" when returning to Ukraine. Before this, Ukrainians could use their internal passport for travel to Russia.
Contents
How the Border Was Formed
The border between Russia and Ukraine today mostly follows the old lines that divided the Ukrainian SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic) and the Russian SFSR (Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) during the time of the Soviet Union.
After the Russian Empire fell apart, Ukraine tried to become an independent country. In May 1918, the first real border agreement was made in Kursk. Ukraine managed to get back its territories and even added some areas where many people spoke Ukrainian. On June 12, 1918, Ukraine and Soviet Russia signed a first peace treaty. They tried to agree on the border, with Ukraine suggesting a border based on where Ukrainian-speaking people lived. Russia wanted people in each town to vote on which country they wanted to join. They eventually agreed to Ukraine's idea, but talks stopped because Russia seemed more interested in spreading its ideas.
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Later, in 1918, Ukraine also made an agreement with the Don Republic. They agreed to use the old borders from the Russian Empire. This agreement helped define the border in the eastern parts of Ukraine.
After another invasion by Soviet troops in 1919, a new Soviet government in Ukraine wanted to keep all the land Ukraine had gained. A border treaty was signed between the Russian SFSR and the Ukrainian SSR on March 10, 1919. However, some Ukrainian areas were later given to Russia.
When the Soviet Union was officially formed in 1922, there were still some border questions. Ukraine wanted parts of the Kursk and Voronezh regions because many Ukrainian speakers lived there. After discussions in the 1920s, Ukraine received about one-third of the land it asked for. By 1927, the official border between the Russian SFSR and the Ukrainian SSR was set.
Crimea Becomes Part of Ukraine (1954)
In 1954, Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, moved the Crimea peninsula from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. This was seen as a small, symbolic change because both regions were part of the Soviet Union and controlled by the government in Moscow. Crimea later regained some self-rule after a vote in 1991, just before the Soviet Union broke up.
The Border Since 1991
When Ukraine became an independent country in 1991, it kept the same territory and borders as the former Ukrainian SSR. At that time, the Russia–Ukraine border was just an administrative line, not a clearly marked international border. Ukraine has been trying to establish a proper border ever since.
Budapest Agreement (1994)
The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances is a set of agreements signed in 1994. In these agreements, countries like Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom promised to respect Ukraine's existing borders.
Border Treaty (2003)
Ukraine and Russia signed the Treaty on the Russian-Ukrainian border on January 28, 2003. This treaty defined the entire land border between the two countries. It was approved by both countries and became official on April 23, 2004. However, they did not agree on the sea border in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait.
A separate Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty was signed in 1997. This treaty included recognizing the existing borders and prevented Ukraine and Russia from invading each other. After Russia took over Crimea in 2014, Ukraine announced it would not renew this treaty when it ended in September 2018. The treaty officially expired on March 31, 2019.
Tuzla Island Dispute (2003)
Tuzla Island became a big point of disagreement between Russia and Ukraine in 2003. The island is in the Kerch Strait and is part of Ukraine. It was transferred to Ukraine along with Crimea in 1954.
The main shipping routes in the Kerch Strait are on the Ukrainian side of the island. Ships cannot easily travel east of the island towards Russia because the water is too shallow. Fishing is also better in Ukraine's waters, which helps Crimea's fishing industry. The conflict grew because there might be oil and gas in the area, and the sea border was not clearly set. Russia suggested that the border should follow the seabed, and both countries could share the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait waters.
Russia Takes Over Crimea (2014)
Since Russia took over Crimea in March 2014, the status of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol has been debated. Ukraine and most other countries see Crimea as an independent region of Ukraine. Russia, however, sees Crimea as part of Russia. Russia also used to lease a naval base in Sevastopol, but this agreement was ended by Russia in 2014.
The exact borders of the Russian Naval Base in Sevastopol were not clear. In December 2018, Russia announced it had finished building a 60-kilometer (37-mile) barrier across the Perekop Isthmus between Ukraine and Crimea.
Rules for Russians Entering Ukraine (2018–Present)
On January 1, 2018, Ukraine started using biometric controls for Russians entering the country. On March 22, 2018, President Petro Poroshenko signed a rule that required Russian citizens to tell Ukrainian authorities in advance why they were traveling to Ukraine.
On November 7, 2018, Ukraine's laws changed. It became a crime to cross the border illegally into Ukraine "to harm the country's interest." This applies to people who are not allowed into Ukraine, or members of Russian military or police who try to cross without proper documents. Doing this repeatedly or in a group can lead to three to five years in prison. Using violence or weapons can lead to five to eight years in prison.
Since November 30, 2018, Ukraine has banned most Russian men between 16 and 60 from entering the country. Ukraine says this is to prevent Russia from forming private armies on Ukrainian land.
Russia's Full Invasion of Ukraine (2022–Present)
On February 24, 2022, Russian forces crossed the border in a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russian forces also entered Ukraine from Belarus and the disputed Crimean Peninsula.
By early April 2022, Ukrainian border guards had taken back control of their border crossings in the Chernihiv Oblast. The governor of Sumy Oblast also said that most Russian troops had left Sumy Oblast, and Ukrainian troops were pushing out the remaining ones.
On July 1, 2022, Ukraine made it mandatory for Russian citizens to apply for a visa to enter Ukraine. In the first four months of this new rule, only ten visas were given, and seven Russian citizens entered Ukraine, mostly for humanitarian reasons.
Border Checkpoints
Since the war in Donbas began in April 2014, Ukraine has lost control of about 409.3 kilometers (254.3 miles) of its border in southeastern Ukraine. This area is now controlled by the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic.
According to Ukraine's State Border Guard Service, the number of Russian citizens crossing into Ukraine dropped by almost 50% in 2015 compared to 2014 (when over 2.5 million Russians crossed). They also stopped 16,500 Russians from entering in 2014 and 10,800 in 2015. In 2017, there were 1.5 million trips by Russians to Ukraine.
Luhansk Oblast Checkpoints
- Zolote, near Zolote towards Pervomaisk
Donetsk Oblast Checkpoints
- Mayorske, near train station Mayorska, Horlivka
- Maryinka, near Maryinka (along Highway H15)
Border Length and Geography
The total length of the Russia–Ukraine border is 2295.04 kilometers (1426.07 miles). Of this, 1974.04 kilometers (1226.61 miles) is land border, and 321 kilometers (199 miles) is sea border. The border starts in the Black Sea, goes through the Kerch Strait, then across the Sea of Azov, and finally becomes a land border that stretches north to the point where Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus meet. This border has the most checkpoints in Ukraine.
Border Demarcation
A treaty to mark the common border was signed by Ukraine and Russia on May 17, 2010, and became official on July 29, 2010. Ukraine planned to start marking the border after this, but it was not fully completed. However, on June 16, 2014, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council ordered the government to mark the border on its own. This happened during the worst fighting of the 2014 conflict.
Ukraine's Border Barrier
Starting in May 2015, Ukraine began building a strong fortified border barrier along its border with Russia. This project was often called "Yatseniuk's Wall." Its main goal was to stop Russian military actions and other types of interference in Ukraine.
By May 2015, a wall defense system was being built along the Russian border in Kharkiv Oblast. The project was supposed to be finished by 2018. In June 2020, the State Border Guard of Ukraine expected it to be done by 2025. However, construction stopped when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Land Border Checkpoints
Here are some of the land border checkpoints:
Chernihiv – Bryansk Border
- Hremiach – Pogar (international, for cars and freight)
- Mykolayivka – Lomakovka (interstate, for cars and freight)
- Senkivka – Novye Yurkovichi (international, for cars and freight, also connects with Belarus)
Sumy – Bryansk Border
- Bachivsk – Troyebornoye (international, for cars and freight)
Sumy – Kursk Border
- Katerynivka – Krupets (international, for cars and freight)
- Yunakivka – Sudzha (international, for cars and freight)
- Seredyna-Buda – Zyornovo (local, for cars and pedestrians, closed at night, under renovation)
Sumy – Belgorod Border
- Velyka Pysarivka – Graivoron (international, for cars and freight)
- Pokrovka – Kolotilovka (interstate/local, for cars and freight)
- Hrabovske – Staroselye (local, for cars and pedestrians, closed at night)
Kharkiv – Belgorod Border
- Hoptivka – Nekhoteyevka
- Kozacha Lopan – Dolbino
- Odnorobivka – Golovchino
- Oleksandrivka – Bezymeno
- Pisky – Logachovka
- Pletenivka – Shebekino
- Strilecha – Zhuravlyovka
- Topoli – Valuiki
- Chuhunivka – Verigovka
Luhansk – Voronezh Border
- Prosyane – Bugayevka
Railroad Border Checkpoints
Sumy Oblast Rail Checkpoints
- Konotop Rail Station (Konotop)
- Vorozhba Rail Station (Vorozhba)
- Khutir-Mykhailivsky Rail Station (Druzhba)
- Zernove Rail Station (Zernove)
- Volfine Rail Station (Volfine)
- Pushkarne Rail Station (Pushkarne)
Kharkiv Oblast Rail Checkpoints
- Vovchansk Rail Station (Vovchansk)
- Kupiansk Rail Station (Kupiansk)
- Kharkiv-Passenger Rail Station (Kharkiv)
- Kharkiv-Sorting Rail Station (Kharkiv)
Closed Border Checkpoints
Many border checkpoints were closed during the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Sumy – Kursk Closed Checkpoints
- Boyaro-Lezhachi – Tyotkino (local)
- Ryzhivka – Tyotkino (local)
Luhansk – Rostov Closed Checkpoints
- Dovzhansky– Novoshakhtinsk (international)
- Izvaryne – Donetsk (special status, international)
- Krasna Talivka – Voloshinoye (international)
- Milove – Chertkovo (local)
- Chervona Mohyla – Gukovo (rail international)
- Izvaryne – Donetsk (special status, rail international)
- Milove - Chertkovo (rail international)
Donetsk – Rostov Closed Checkpoints
- Kvashyne – Uspenka (international)
- Marynivka – Kuibyshevo (international)
- Novoazovsk – Veselo-Voznesensk (international)
Local Border Traffic Rules
Since March 16, 2015, Ukraine stopped the agreement that allowed easy local border crossings with Russia. Ukraine said this was for national security reasons.
On March 24, 2015, Ukraine announced that Russia had temporarily stopped local border traffic in some areas of Ukraine next to Russia. However, some checkpoints in the Kharkiv region were exceptions.
Easy local border crossing was allowed for the 2015 Easter holidays in some districts of the Luhansk Oblast.
Images for kids
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Ukrainian customs service officer checking a car at the land crossing between Ukraine's Hoptivka and Russia's Nekhoteyevka in April 2008.
