The Odesa region ranked among the top three regions with the highest number of border violations

In the first half of 2026, 997 reports were filed in the Odesa region for illegal border crossings. The region ranked third in the country in terms of the number of illegal exit attempts.

This was reported by OpenDataBot. 

Transcarpathia ranked second with 2,170 illegal border crossings. Chernivtsi Oblast ranked first with 2,834 illegal border crossings.

Together, these three regions account for 80% of all reports filed this year.

For comparison: on the eve of the full-scale war and during the first year, the highest number of reports were filed in Odesa and Zakarpattia. Over the past two years, however, Chernivtsi Oblast has held the top spot.

On average, about 1,200 reports are filed per month in 2026. This is roughly one-third fewer than last year. At the same time, it is nearly 10 times more than before the start of the full-scale war.

Previously, law enforcement officials uncovered a scheme in the Odesa region to illegally smuggle men subject to military conscription abroad under the guise of riverboat crew members. According to investigators, the scheme was organized by a serving inspector of the State Border Guard Service, who acted in collusion with the director of a crewing company, shipping agents, and employees of various companies. Under this scheme, nearly 150 men have already crossed the state border.

Another10 men were attempted to be smuggled abroad disguised as furniture. To endure the harsh temperature conditions in the enclosed, tarped space, the passengers brought only drinking water with them.

Юлія Калабайда