State Border Guard Service believes legislation on border violators is not strict enough

According to Ukrinform, this opinion was expressed on a TV broadcast by the Spokesperson for the State Border Guard Service, Andriy Demchenko.

According to him, administrative liability in the form of fines for border violators does not prevent them from engaging in illegal activities.

“People are not deterred by administrative liability and minor fines. At present, border guards issue administrative reports and submit these cases to the courts, and it is the courts that decide whether or not to hold the violators accountable. Therefore, such minimal liability for attempting to illegally cross the border is a soft punishment, and it does not stop people from repeatedly attempting such actions. If we compare the attempts to illegally cross the border before February 24, 2022, and now, they have increased many times over,” Demchenko noted.

According to him, since the beginning of this year, border guards have detained more than 13,000 citizens for violations of border-related legislation, including attempts to illegally cross the border. Some violators have been detained multiple times.

“There are individuals whom we detain three or four times. And there are record-holders whom we detain more than ten times for attempting to illegally cross the border… And people are willing to pay sums many times greater than the fines imposed for such violations,” Demchenko said.

As reported by Ukrinform, the State Border Guard Service has confirmed the government’s intention to strengthen liability for illegal border crossings. A bill has already been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada that provides for criminal liability for both organized criminal groups and individuals who illegally cross the border outside checkpoints or with forged documents.

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