Russia–Ukraine border

Map of the Russian Empire in 1910, showing Imperial governorates in Eastern Europe.

The border has inherited its location from the administrative-territorial division between the Ukrainian SSR and the Russian SFSR. The first real demarcation took place in May 1918 in Kursk.[11] After the fall of the Russian Empire, several factions sought to create an independent Ukrainian state, alternately cooperating and struggling against each other. Most of Ukraine (Ukrainian People's Republic) was overrun by the Red Guards of Soviet Russia. With the help of the Central Powers, Ukraine managed to recover all its territories of "Ukrainian governorates" and also annexed a number of neighboring counties of Kursk and Voronezh governorates where the ethnic composition of the population was predominantly Ukrainophone (Ukrainian-speaking).[12] On 6 May 1918, a ceasefire agreement was signed in Konotop between Ukraine and Soviet Russia.[11] Between the fighting sides a neutral territory between 10 and 40 km wide was established to prevent further aggression, but the Russian side decided to create guerrilla forces which were transformed into two "Ukrainian divisions"[11] (see Nikolay Shchors).

Peace talks started on 23 May 1918 in Kyiv, where the Russian delegation was headed by Christian Rakovsky and Dmitry Manuilsky, while the Ukrainian - by Serhiy Shelukhin (Ambassador of Ukraine to Russia).[11] On June 12, 1918, the sides signed a preliminary peace treaty.[11] Further negotiations stalled due to a lack of consensus on the issue of the borders.[11] The Ukrainian side was proposing an ethnic principle based on the already established political, geographical, and economic aspects, while the Russian side insisted on conducting a plebiscite in each populated place.[11] On 22 June 1918, both sides finally agreed to go along with the Ukrainian proposition, while any contested issues would be decided by plebiscite.[11] Yet any further negotiations led nowhere and were terminated by the Ukrainian delegation in October 1918 as it was becoming apparent that the Russian was using their time more for the pro-Soviet propaganda.[11]

More productive were negotiations between the Don Republic and Ukraine that started soon after the Don Republic formed its government on 16 May 1918.[11] The Don side was presented by the Minister of trade Vladimir Lebedev and the Ambassador of Don to Ukraine General Aleksandr Cheriachukin, while the Ukrainian side - by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Doroshenko.[11]

On 8 August 1918, the sides signed the treaty "About Basic Principles of Bilateral Relations", wherein each side agreed to renounce its territorial contests against the other, and borders were established based on the gubernatorial division of the Russian Empire.[11] The Don-Ukraine border outlined the Oblast of Don Host to the west of the Don Republic and Yekaterinoslav, Kharkiv, Voronezh guberniyas to the east of Ukraine.[11] To Ukraine also was ceded some territory of the right bank of the Kalmius river just east of Mariupol "to ensure the proper administration of the city and port".[11] On September 18, 1918, between Don and Ukraine the Don-Ukrainian Commission was created for the administration of the Taganrog Industrial District, based in Kharkiv.[11]

Establishment of the boundaries of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic between 1917 and 1928.

After the second invasion of the Soviet troops during the Russian Civil War in 1919, the new Soviet government of Ukraine intended to retain all territorial gains of the Ukrainian national government (Ukrainian State). However, after several rounds of negotiations, the border between the "Ukrainian governorates" (Chernihiv and Kharkiv) and the "Russian governorates" (Bryansk and Kursk) was left intact.[12] It also was agreed that Ukraine would border Crimea at the Perekop Isthmus.[12] On March 10, 1919, a border treaty was signed between the Russian SFSR and the Ukrainian SSR.[12]

On April 24, 1919, the Ukrainian SSR was stripped of four counties of the Chernihiv Governorate that on the unilateral decision of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the Russian SFSR were transferred to the newly created Gomel Governorate.[12] On April 28, 1919, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine simply acknowledged it.[12]

Map of the Soviet Union between 1954 and 1991, including the Ukrainian SSR (yellow) and the Russian SFSR (pink).

After the USSR was formally created in 1922 and due to the onset of the administrative division reform, issues emerged. The Ukrainian government claimed mainly some parts of the Kursk and Voronezh gubernia, which were home to a Ukrainian-speaking population. As a result of the border dispute of the 1920s, Ukraine was granted approximately one-third of the claimed territories, while the Taganrog and Shakhty districts went back to the RSFSR. By 1927, the administrative border between the RSFSR and Ukrainian SSR was established.

In 1954, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Nikita Khrushchev transferred the peninsula of Crimea from the Russian SFSR to the Ukrainian SSR. This event was viewed as an insignificant "symbolic gesture", as both republics were a part of the Soviet Union and answerable to the government in Moscow.[13][14][15] Crimean autonomy was re-established after a referendum in 1991, 11 months prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.[16]

The Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances refers to three identical political agreements signed at the OSCE conference in Budapest, Hungary on 5 December 1994. Among other things, the Memorandum promised that its signatories (the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom) would respect Ukraine's existing borders.

The Treaty Between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on the Russian–Ukrainian State Border[18] was signed by President Leonid Kuchma of Ukraine and President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation on 28 January, 2003.[19] It defined the entire land border between the two states (shown in red), except for the point where it met the Belarusian border, which was agreed in a separate treaty.[18] It was ratified by both states, and entered into force on 23 April 2004.[19] However, maritime border wasn't delimitated over controversy concerning the waters of the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait. A separate Russian–Ukrainian Friendship Treaty was signed in 1997, which included the recognition of existing borders. The treaty prevented Ukraine and Russia from invading one another's country respectively, and declaring war. In 2014, Ukraine announced its intention not to renew the treaty come September 2018. The treaty consequently expired on 31 March 2019.[4][3]

The island Tuzla Spit became a major dispute between Russia and Ukraine in 2003. The island is located in the Kerch Strait and administratively it is part of Crimea, Ukraine. During the Soviet period, the island along with Crimea was transferred to Ukraine in 1954; the fact which was also fiercely contested by several Russian politicians was the legal background of the territorial change.

The main trade routes lay completely within the deeper part of the Kerch Strait which is located between the island and Crimea and is considered a part of the territorial waters of Ukraine. On the other hand, ships are impeded to travel to the east of the island (towards the Taman peninsula) due to the fact that there are shallow waters. Between Tuzla and the Taman peninsula, there are two channels; however, none of them are deeper than 3 m (9.8 ft). Fishing spawn also mainly takes place in the territorial waters of Ukraine, which is favorable for the fishing industry of Crimea. The intensity of the conflict increased due to the forecast of locations of oil and gas in the area and the lack of an established and ratified international border between Russia and Ukraine. On the proposition of the Russian side, it was offered for the border to stretch along the bed of the territorial waters while sharing the use of the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait waters.

Since the March 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, the status of the Crimea and of the city of Sevastopol is currently under dispute between Russia and Ukraine; Ukraine, and the majority of the international community, consider the Crimea to be an autonomous republic of Ukraine, and Sevastopol to be one of Ukraine's cities with special status. Russia, on the other hand, considers the Crimea to be a federal subject of Russia and Sevastopol to be one of Russia's three federal cities.[20][21] Since 1991, Russia also leases Sevastopol Naval Base with the current lease extending to the 2040s with an option for another extension, but the Russian State Duma approved the denunciation of this lease agreements unanimously by 433 members of parliament on 31 March 2014.[22]

Borders of the Russian Naval Base, in the city of Sevastopol, and its vicinity have not been clearly identified.

In December 2018, Russia announced it completed the construction of the 60-km barrier across Perekop Isthmus between Ukraine and Crimea.[23]

On 1 January 2018, Ukraine introduced biometric controls for Russians entering the country.[4] On 22 March 2018, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed a decree that required Russian citizens and "individuals without citizenship, who come from migration risk countries” (more details were not given) to notify the Ukrainian authorities in advance about their reason for traveling to Ukraine.[4]

On 7 November 2018, the Criminal Code of Ukraine was amended to make an illegal crossing of the border into Ukraine "to harm the country's interest" punishable by imprisonment for up to three years.[5] This refers to persons who are denied entry to Ukraine and members of units of the Russian armed forces or other law enforcement agencies, who try to cross the state border of Ukraine by any means beyond official checkpoints or at checkpoints without proper travel documents or documents containing inaccurate information.[5] The same acts committed repeatedly or by a group of persons will entail imprisonment from three to five years.[5] Imprisonment from five to eight years is foreseen for committing these acts combined with violence or the use of weapons.[5]

Since 30 November 2018, Ukraine bans all Russian men between 16 and 60 from entering the country with exceptions for humanitarian purposes.[7][8][9] Ukraine claims this is a security measure to prevent Russia from forming units of “private” armies on Ukrainian soil.[6]

On 24 February 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.[24]

On 4 and 5 April 2022, units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine retook control of their border crossing in Chernihiv Oblast.[25] On 4 April, Sumy Oblast's Governor Dmytro Zhyvytskyi stated that Russian troops no longer occupied any towns or villages in Sumy Oblast and had mostly withdrawn, while Ukrainian troops were working to push out the remaining units.[26]

On 1 July 2022, Ukraine made it compulsory for Russian citizens to apply for a visa to enter Ukraine.[27] During the first four months of the visa regime, ten visas were issued and seven Russian citizens entered Ukraine (mostly for humanitarian reasons).[27]

• Zolote, near Zolote towards Pervomaisk

• Mayorske, near train station Mayorska, Horlivka
• Maryinka, near Maryinka (along Highway H15)

The section of the border between the Chernihiv Oblast and Bryansk Oblast has length of 183 km (114 mi).[36]

Notes:

• 3 – three-way checkpoint with Belarus

Notes:

• 1 – closed for nighttime
• 2 – under renovations

Notes:

• 1 – closed for nighttime

Ukrainian side (Hoptivka) of the land crossing with Russia's Nekhoteyevka in May 2010.

Russian side (Nekhoteyevka) of the land crossing with Ukraine's Hoptivka in May 2010.

• Hoptivka – Nekhoteyevka
• Kozacha Lopan – Dolbino
• Odnorobivka – Golovchino
• Oleksandrivka – Bezymeno
• Pisky – Logachovka
• Pletenivka – Shebekino
• Strilecha – Zhuravlyovka
• Topoli – Valuiki
• Chuhunivka – Verigovka

• Adrian Lagmay - Trestan Baldoza

• Prosyane – Bugayevka

• 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)

• Vovchansk Rail Station (Vovchansk)
• Kupiansk Rail Station (Kupiansk)
• Kharkiv-Passenger Rail Station (Kharkiv)
• Kharkiv-Sorting Rail Station (Kharkiv)

• Klyusy (local?)[37]

• Sopych[37] status is uncertain, could be same as Bachivsk

• Boyaro-Lezhachi – Tyotkino (local)[37]
• Kondrativka – Yelizovetovka (local)[37]
• Novovasylivka – Belaya Beryozka (local)[37]
• Ryzhivka – Tyotkino (local)[37]
• Starykove – Kozino (local)[37]
• Volfine – Volfino (local)[37]
• Volodymyrivka (local?)[37]

• Popivka (local?)[37] (uncertain whether of Velyka Pysarivka or Krasnopillia raions)

• Budarky – Tishanka (local)[37]

• Dyomino-Oleksandrivka – Valuiky (interstate)[37]

• Novobila – Novobila (interstate)[37]

• Dovzhansky– Novoshakhtinsk (international)
• Herasymivka – Mozhayevka (local)
• Izvaryne – Donetsk (special status, international)
• Krasna Talivka – Voloshinoye (international)
• Milove – Chertkovo (local)
• Yuhanivka – Yelan (local)
• Chervona Mohyla – Gukovo (rail international)
• Izvaryne – Donetsk (special status, rail international)
• Milove - Chertkovo (rail international)
• Chervonopartyzansk – Gukovo (international)[37]
• Syevyerny – Donetsk (local)[37]
• Krasnodarsky – Donetsk (local)[37]
• Krasnodarsky – Nizhni Shvyrov (local)[37]
• Novoborovtsi – Alekseyevo-Tuzlovka (local)[37]
• Oleksandrivka – Titovka (local)[37]
• Vilkhove – Quarry of 122 km (interstate)[37]
• Zarynivka – Tarasovo-Melovskoye (local)[37]

The section of the border between the Donetsk Oblast and Rostov Oblast has length of 178.5 km (110.9 mi).[38]

• Passengers Park (Ilovaisk) – Uspenka (rail international)
• Southern Park (Ilovaisk) – Uspenka (rail international)
• Kvashyne – Uspenka (international)
• Marynivka – Kuibyshevo (international)
• Novoazovsk – Veselo-Voznesensk (international)
• Ulianivske – Shramko (local)[37]
• Uspenka – Matveyev Kurgan (international)[37]

• Port Krym (Kerch Strait ferry line) – Port Kavkaz
• Sevastopol, while containing a naval base of the Black Sea Fleet of Russian Federation, there were no borders demarcated within the city. Instead, the whole city was granted the special status and without a full-fledged mayor position.[39]