State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Державна Прикордонна Служба України, Derzhavna Prykordonna Sluzhba Ukrayiny; abbr. ДПСУ, DPSU) or SBGS is the border guard of Ukraine. It is an independent law enforcement agency of special assignment, the head of which is subordinated to the President of Ukraine.
The Service was created on July 31, 2003 after the reorganization of the State Committee in Affairs for Protection the State Border. During wartime, units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine fall under the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine includes the Ukrainian Sea Guard (the country’s coast guard). It is also responsible for running “Temporary Detention Centres”, in which refugees are held.
Structure
Components
- Ground Forces
- Sea Guard
- Aerial support
Directors (Commanders) of Border Guard Service (Border Troops)
- 2019-present Serhiy Deyneko
- 2017-2019 Petro Tsyhykal
- 2014-2017 Viktor Nazarenko
- 2001-2014 Mykola Lytvyn
- 1999-2001 Borys Oleksiyenko
- 1994-1999 Viktor Bannykh
- 1991-1994 Valeriy Hubenko
Units
A Ukrainian border guard post on the Ukrainian-Polish border
A Ukrainian border control exit stamp from Kyiv’s Boryspil Airport
Stenka-class patrol boat BG57 Mykolaiv
Typical border marker of Ukraine
- Main Administrations
- West Region (Lviv)
- Lviv border detachment
- Mostyska border detachment
- Mukacheve border detachment
- Chop border detachment
- Chernivtsi border detachment
- Clinic-hospital (Lviv)
- Canine Training Center (Velyki mosty)
- North Region (Zhytomyr)
- Chernihiv border detachment
- Zhytomyr border detachment
- Lutsk border detachment
- East Region (Kharkiv)
- Luhansk border detachment
- Donetsk border detachment
- Kharkiv border detachment
- Sumy border detachment
- Kharkiv separate aviation squadron
- Mariupol Sea Guard detachment (created in response to fears of Russian aggression in 2014)
- South Region (Odessa)
- Odessa border detachment
- Kotovsk border detachment
- Mohyliv-Podilsky border detachment
- Bilhorod-Dnistrovsky border detachment
- Izmail border detachment
- Odessa Sea Guard detachment
- Odessa separate aviation squadron
- Izmail training detachment of Sea Guard
- Clinic-hospital (Odessa)
- Azov-Black Sea Region (Simferopol), reorganized due to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea
- Simferopol border detachment (moved to Kherson)
- Berdiansk border detachment
- Kerch Sea Guard detachment (moved to Mariupol)
- Yalta Sea Guard detachment (disbanded)
- Sevastopol Sea Guard detachment (moved to Odessa)
- Separate controlled border checkpoint “Kyiv”
- 10th Mobile border detachment
Supporting institutions
- Separate Guard and Support Command
- Main center of Communication, Automatization, and Information Protection
- Information Agency
- Main center of supporting development programs
- Main Forensic Centre
- State Archives
- Training center
- Science research institute
- Khmelnytskyi National Academy
- Central museum
- Central hospital
- Clinical sanatoriums: Prykordonyk, Arkadia
- Children health center Pryberezhny
- Center of health and recreation Pishchane
- Academic ensemble of song and dance
- Sports Committee
Temporary Detention Centres
- Pavschino (Military Unit 2142)
History
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This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (September 2012)
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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 2022, during the Battle of Snake Island 13 Border Troops were attacked and captured by Russian warships.
Military ranks
Uniform
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Patch
-
Cockade
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Officers cocarde
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Privates cocarde
Long Service Medal
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25 years in service
-
20 years in service
-
15 years in service
-
10 years in service
Equipment
| Model | Image | Origin | Variant | Number | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRAP | |||||
 |
Kozak |  Ukraine Italy |
Kozak-2 | 80 | Ukraine is unable to produce the V-shape hull required so it will purchase them from Iveco Corporation. |
 |
KRAZ Cougar |  Canada Ukraine |
9 | Built under license at the KrAZ factory in Kremenchuk. | |
| Vehicles | |||||
 |
KrAZ-6322 «Солдат» | Ukraine |
Truck | 50 | |
 |
KrAZ-255Б |  Soviet Union |
Truck | ||
 |
КАMAZ 43114 |  Russia |
Truck | ||
 |
Ural-4320 | Soviet Union |
Truck | ||
 |
ZIL-131 | Soviet Union |
Truck | ||
 |
ZIL-130 | Soviet Union |
Truck | ||
 |
GAZ-66 | Soviet Union |
Truck | ||
 |
GAZ-3307 | Russia |
Truck | ||
 |
MAZ-5337 | Soviet Union |
Truck | ||
 |
MAZ-5335 | Soviet Union |
Truck | ||
 |
UAZ-3151 | Russia |
Off-road vehicle | 100 | |
 |
UAZ-3163 | Russia |
Off-road vehicle | ||
 |
Land Rover Defender |  UK |
Off-road vehicle | 55 | |
 |
Chevrolet Niva | Russia |
Off-road vehicle | 100 | |
 |
Volkswagen Amarok |  Germany |
Off-road vehicle | 20 | |
 |
Toyota Land Cruiser 200 |  Japan |
Off-road vehicle | 20 | |
 |
Dacia Duster |  France Romania |
Off-road vehicle | 10 | |
 |
UAZ-3303 | Russia |
Off-road vehicle | ||
 |
UAZ-3962 | Russia |
|||
 |
GAZ-3221 | Russia |
Bus | ||
 |
Volkswagen Transporter | Germany |
Bus | 10 | |
 |
Volkswagen Crafter | Germany |
Bus | 31 | |
 |
Ford Transit |  USA |
Bus | 10 | |
 |
Peugeot Boxer | France |
Bus | ||
 |
Mercedes-Benz Vito | Germany |
|||
 |
Богдан А092 | Ukraine |
Bus | ||
 |
Toyota Coaster | Japan |
Bus | ||
 |
ЛАЗ-695 | Soviet Union |
Bus | ||
| Other vehicles | |||||
 |
Bombardier Outlander 400 MAX | Canada |
100 | ||
 |
Polaris 600 IQ Touring | Canada |
50 | ||
 |
Minsk (motorcycle) |  Belarus |
183 | ||
| Aircraft | |||||
 |
Diamond DA40 |  Austria |
TDI | 5 | |
 |
Diamond DA42 | Austria |
M-NG | 4 | |
 |
Antonov An-24 | Soviet Union |
RV | 1 | |
 |
Airbus H125 | France |
7 | In total 24 helicopters to be received. | |
 |
Antonov An-26 | Soviet Union |
1 | ||
 |
Mil Mi-8 | Soviet Union |
T/MT/MTV | 5 | |