Ukrainian border guards are the national successors of the
Soviet Border Troops. They were formed from the approximately 17,000 Border Troops located in Ukraine in 1991. The organization was first titled the "Ukrainian Border Troops", which was later subordinated to the "Ukraine's State Committee for State Border Guarding". From 1991 to at least 1993, the new borders with
Russia and
Belarus were not guarded; the Border Troops were only deployed along the western borders (minus
Moldova) and on the
Black Sea. Another 9,000 personnel were added to the Border Troops at the expense of the
Armed Forces of Ukraine, and, by the end of 1993, border posts were established in the north along the Russian and Belarusian borders. In 1999, the authorized strength of the force was again increased to 50,000. In 2003, new legislation was adopted, and this somewhat changed the legal status of the institution. In March 2003, the Border Troops became the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and its status was legally changed from 'military formation' to 'special law-enforcement body.' The force was legally granted 50,000 personnel, including 8,000 civilian employees. On 4 July 2012, a State Border Guard Service
Diamond DA42 aircraft failed to make its scheduled radio contact with ground units. A
Search and rescue mission revealed that the plane had crashed into a wooded mountainous area in
Velykyi Bereznyi Raion, killing all 3 crew members on board. A further investigation was launched.During The
War in Donbas on August 31, 2014, two Sea Guard Zhuk class patrol boats were struck by land-based artillery. In June 2, a border base in the outskirts of
Luhansk was besieged by a troop of
Luhansk People's Republic separatists. The
Siege of the Luhansk Border Base resulted in 10 wounded Border Guards until they surrendered and withdrew. shelled by Russian missiles in the first day of the
Russian invasion of Ukraine, 24 February 2022 In 2022, during the
Battle of Snake Island 13 border troops were attacked and captured by Russian warships. A unit of border guards was stationed in
Mariupol and fought during the
Siege of Mariupol. In 20 April, the border guards were stranded in an encircled pocket at the Mariupol sea port together with
National Police of Ukraine, until they were rescued by the
Azov Regiment and retreated into the
Azovstal Iron and Steel Works. On 30 April 2024, Andriy Demchenko, spokesperson of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, said in an interview that 30 Ukrainians have died trying to leave since February 2024 when conscription was introduced. Since the implementation of martial law some 450 criminal gangs have been formed specialising in people smuggling. In April 2024, was announced the creation of the third combat brigade in the State Border Guard Service. The brigade was named
Hart and Colonel Volodymyr Chervonenko became its commander.
Involvement in abuse and murders of Ukrainian men fleeing the country During the Russia-Ukraine war and war-related country exit ban for males, the service’s main occupation essentially became hunting down conscription age men seeking to leave Ukraine through
clandestine routes. Based on abundant evidence, captured individuals are being routinely beaten and tortured with several cases of shootings of fugitives to death also being reported and verified. ==Structure==