{{Short description|International boundary of Ukraine}} [[File:Map of Ukraine political simple blank.svg|200px|thumb|Map of Ukraine's internationally recognised borders]] [[File:Ukraine border sign.svg|thumb|200px|Ukrainian border road sign]] [[File:UA border Monument.jpg|thumb|Border monument located at the tripoint with Hungary and Romania on the banks of the [[Tur (river)|Tur]] river]] The '''state border of Ukraine''' ({{langx|uk|Державний кордон України|Derzhavnyi Kordon Ukrayiny}}; abbreviated as DerzhKordon) is the internationally recognized boundary of [[Ukraine]], encompassing its land, maritime territory, and airspace.<ref>[http://zakon2.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1777-12 Law of Ukraine "On State Border of Ukraine"]</ref> The border is jointly secured by the [[State Border Guard Service of Ukraine]] and the [[Armed Forces of Ukraine]].
==Land boundaries== [[File:Ukraine Border.JPG|thumb|Romania–Ukraine border near [[Siret]]]] [[File:State Border of Ukraine.png|thumb|Typical [[border marker]] of Ukraine]] Ukraine shares land borders with seven countries: [[Belarus]], [[Hungary]], [[Moldova]], [[Borders of Poland|Poland]], [[Romania]], [[Borders of Russia|Russia]] and [[Slovakia]]. These boundaries largely follow the demarcations established during the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Ukraine's Border with Russia before and after the Orange Revolution |url=https://www.bundesheer.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/ukraine_zerissen_zw_ost_u_west_m_malek_ukraines_border_t_zhurzhenko.pdf |access-date=2017-01-11}}</ref><ref name="relations">{{cite web |title=Ukraine and Russia: mutual relations and the conditions that determine them |url=http://pdc.ceu.hu/archive/00002222/01/uk_ru_mutual_rel.pdf |access-date=2017-01-11}}</ref> The total length of Ukraine's international borders is {{convert|6992.98|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071206030446/http://www.pvu.gov.ua/control/uk/publish/article?art_id=47129&cat_id=46429 General characteristics of the Ukrainian border at the State Border Guard of Ukraine website]</ref> The area of the [[exclusive economic zone]] of Ukraine is {{convert|72658|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.
Ukraine's terrestrial borders span {{convert|5637.98|km|mi|abbr=on}}. Below is a breakdown of its land boundaries with neighboring states: {| class="wikitable" !colspan=2|Country !Border Length with Ukraine |- |colspan=2|[[Belarus–Ukraine border|Belarus]] |{{convert|975.2|km|mi|abbr=on}} including {{convert|325.9|km|mi|abbr=on}} by rivers |- |colspan=2|[[Moldova–Ukraine border|Moldova]] |{{convert|1222|km|mi|abbr=on}} including {{convert|267|km|mi|abbr=on}} by rivers (includes {{convert|452|km|mi|abbr=on|disp=sqbr}} border with [[Transnistria]].) |- |colspan=2|[[Russia–Ukraine border|Russia]] |{{convert|2063|km|mi|abbr=on}} including {{convert|1974.04|km|mi|abbr=on}} by land and {{convert|321|km|mi|abbr=on}} by sea |- |[[Poland–Ukraine border|Poland]] |rowspan=4|[[European Union]] |{{convert|542.39|km|mi|abbr=on}} including {{convert|187.3|km|mi|abbr=on}} by rivers |- |[[Slovakia - Ukraine border|Slovakia]] |{{convert|97.85|km|mi|abbr=on}} including {{convert|2.3|km|mi|abbr=on}} by rivers |- |[[Hungary–Ukraine border|Hungary]] |{{convert|136.7|km|mi|abbr=on}} including {{convert|85.1|km|mi|abbr=on}} by rivers |- |[[Romania–Ukraine border|Romania]] |{{convert|613.8|km|mi|abbr=on}} including {{convert|292.2|km|mi|abbr=on}} by rivers and sea |}
== Maritime borders == [[File:Black Sea relief location map with exclusive economic zones.svg|right|thumb|Exclusive economic zones of the Black Sea]]
===Black Sea=== Ukraine's southern maritime border follows the outer limits of its territorial waters in the [[Black Sea]]. It shares maritime boundaries with Romania and Russia, with additional interactions in contested regions.
==== Exclusive economic zones ==== * '''Romania–Ukraine border''': Extends {{convert|33|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the terminus of their land border into the Black Sea, demarcating the boundary between Ukrainian territorial waters and Romania's [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ). * '''Snake Island''': A Ukrainian territorial feature near the Danube Delta, critical for defining the EEZ. In 2009, the International Court of Justice adjusted the maritime boundary, granting Ukraine sovereignty over most waters around the island. * '''[[Kerch Strait]]''': Ukraine's EEZ extends {{convert|22.2|km|mi|abbr=on}} southward from its Black Sea coast toward the strait, adjoining Russia's EEZ.
==== Russia–Ukraine maritime boundary ==== The maritime border with Russia begins south of the Kerch Strait, where the Russian and Ukrainian EEZs meet. From there, it runs northward for {{convert|22.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} through the strait, dividing territorial waters. The boundary continues into the [[Sea of Azov]], designated as shared internal waters under a 2003 treaty, though this status is disputed following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
====Sea of Azov==== Within the Sea of Azov, the Russia–Ukraine maritime border spans {{convert|249.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}, extending to the northern coast where it meets the terrestrial border.
===Total length=== Ukraine's total maritime border measures {{convert|1355|km|mi|abbr=on}}: * '''Black Sea''': {{convert|1056.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} * '''Sea of Azov and Kerch Strait''': {{convert|298.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}
== Disputes with Russia ==
{{Expert needed|Ukraine | talk = | reason = Check content and organize | date = April 2024 | ex2 = Russia }}
Disputes on the demarcation of borders with Russia, Belarus, and Moldova (formerly republics of the Soviet Union) are unresolved. The disputes with Russia and Belarus were further exacerbated with the start of the [[Russo-Ukrainian War|Russo-Ukrainian war]].{{citation needed|date=October 2022}}
In 1994, the [[Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances]] promised, ''inter alia'', that its signatories (the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and the United Kingdom) would respect Ukraine's existing borders. Further negotiations with Russia began in 1998.<ref name="relations" /> In 2004, a [[Treaty Between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on Cooperation in the Use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait|treaty]] concerning shared use of [[Azov Sea]] and the [[Kerch Strait]] was ratified by the parliaments of both countries, but left delimitation of maritime borders subject to follow-up negotiations. It has been argued that Russia showed little interest in advancing these discussions.<ref>{{cite news |date=December 5, 2018 |title=Azov Sea, Kerch Strait: Evolution of Their Purported Legal Status (Part Two) |url=https://jamestown.org/program/azov-sea-kerch-strait-evolution-of-their-purported-legal-status-part-two/ |access-date=2022-10-12 |newspaper=Jamestown |publisher=Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 15 Issue: 171}}</ref>
=== Crimea === Since the 2014 Russian [[annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|occupation and annexation of Crimea]], Ukraine does not have ''[[de facto]]'' control of the peninsula, and considers it to be under [[Temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine|temporary occupation]]. Ukraine and the majority of the international community consider Crimea to be an [[autonomous republic]] of Ukraine and Sevastopol to be one of Ukraine's [[cities with special status]], while Russia considers Crimea to be a [[federal subject of Russia]] and Sevastopol to be one of Russia's three [[federal cities of Russia|federal cities]].<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news|last=Gutterman |first=Steve |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-idUSBREA1Q1E820140318 |title=Putin signs Crimea treaty, will not seize other Ukraine regions |date=18 March 2014 |agency=Reuters.com |access-date=26 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="Ukraine crisis timeline BBC">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26248275 Ukraine crisis timeline], [[BBC News]]</ref>
Since 1991 Russia had leased Sevastopol Naval Base.<ref name=ITBSTd /> In 2010, following the [[Kharkiv Agreements|Kharkiv Pact]], Ukraine gave the Russian Sea Fleet an exclusive 25-year lease for part of the territory of [[Sevastopol]].{{citation needed|date=May 2025}} The Russian [[State Duma]] unanimously dissolved the lease for the base in the same month that Russia occupied Crimea.<ref name=ITBSTd>[http://en.itar-tass.com/russia/725964 State Duma approves denunciation of Russian-Ukrainian agreements on Black Sea Fleet], [[ITAR-TASS]] (31 March 2014)</ref>
On 1 January 2018, Ukraine introduced biometric controls for [[Russian citizens]] entering the country.<ref name="uk.reuters.com">[https://web.archive.org/web/20180323154658/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-ukraine-russia-travel/kiev-tightens-requirements-for-russians-travelling-to-ukraine-idUKKBN1GX2AY?il=0 Reuters]</ref> On 22 March 2018, [[Ukrainian President]] [[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 travelling to Ukraine.<ref name="uk.reuters.com" /> Since 1 July 2022, Russian citizens were required to apply for a [[Travel visa|visa]] to enter Ukraine.<ref name="7380531UkrainebgUB">{{cite web |author=VALENTYNA ROMANENKO |date=13 December 2022 |title=Less than a dozen: Border guards told how many Russians entered Ukraine with visas |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2022/12/13/7380531/ |access-date=13 December 2022 |website=[[Ukrayinska Pravda]] |language=English}}</ref> During the first 4.5 months these visas were in effect, 10 visas had been issued and 7 Russian citizens legally entered Ukraine (most for humanitarian reasons).<ref name="7380531UkrainebgUB" />
=== Southern and Eastern Ukraine === Since the [[2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine]], the Russian military has captured large swaths of territory across Southern and Eastern Ukraine. On 30 September, after Russian authorities conducted [[2022 annexation referendums in Russian-occupied Ukraine|annexation referendums in four oblasts]] which are widely considered illegitimate,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-27 |title=So-called referenda in Russian-controlled Ukraine 'cannot be regarded as legal': UN political affairs chief |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/09/1128161 |access-date=2022-10-12 |website=UN News |language=en}}</ref> Russian President Putin [[Annexation of southeastern Ukraine by the Russian Federation|declared these oblasts as sovereign Russian territory]],<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-10-04 |title=Russia's Federation Council ratifies annexation of four Ukrainian regions |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russias-federation-council-ratifies-annexation-four-ukrainian-regions-2022-10-04/ |access-date=2022-10-12}}</ref> further disputing the internationally recognized border.
== Former dispute with Romania == {{main|Maritime Delimitation in the Black Sea case}}
[[File:Resolve Black Sea delimitation case.png|thumb|Final ruling of [[International Court of Justice]] on territorial waters.]] From Ukraine's independence, [[Romania]] had contested Ukraine's claims to [[Snake Island (Ukraine)|Snake Island]] and associated territorial waters, especially their claimed [[exclusive economic zone]] (EEZ).
Romania initially did not recognize Snake Island as sovereign Ukrainian territory, but later decided to reclassify the island as a rock without rights on the adjacent territorial waters and EEZ. The island which has an area of {{convert|16|ha|acre|abbr=on}} is strategically important for the control over the Danube delta and the surrounding waters.
Currently the dispute is settled and Snake Island was recognized as the part of Ukrainian territory, however its adjacent waters (EEZ of Ukraine) became limited.
==See also== * [[Maritime delimitation between Romania and Ukraine]] * [[Bystroye Channel]] * [[Black Sea Fleet]]
==References== <references/>
== External links == {{Commons category|International borders of Ukraine}} * [http://zakon.rada.gov.ua/cgi-bin/laws/main.cgi?nreg=1777-12 Закон України Про державний кордон України] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20110928052457/http://politicom.moldova.org/news/moldovaukraine-relations-interview-with-andrei-popov-205196-eng.html Moldova-Ukraine relations, interview with Andrei Popov] * [http://www.unian.net/ukr/news/news-384223.html Молдова і Україна вирішили спірне територіальне питання] * [http://www.flux.md/articole/8379/ Territorial settlement Palanca] * {{cite book |last1=Yefimenko |first1=H. |last2=Kulchytskyi |first2=S. |editor1-last=Smoliy |editor1-first=V. |editor1-link=Valeriy Smoliy |title=Енциклопедія історії України : у 10 т. |trans-title=Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine, in 10 volumes |date=2008 |publisher=[[Naukova Dumka]] |location=Kiev |isbn=((978-966-00-0855-4)) <!-- per pdf version: http://history.org.ua/LiberUA/ehu/5.pdf -->|page=137 |chapter-url=http://resource.history.org.ua/cgi-bin/eiu/history.exe?Z21ID=&I21DBN=EIU&P21DBN=EIU&S21STN=1&S21REF=10&S21FMT=eiu_all&C21COM=S&S21CNR=20&S21P01=0&S21P02=0&S21P03=TRN=&S21COLORTERMS=0&S21STR=Kordoni_Derzhavni_Ukraini |access-date=12 July 2020 |language=uk |chapter=Кордони державні України, принципи та історична практика їх визначень |trans-chapter=State borders of Ukraine, principles and historical practice of their definition |volume=5, Кон — Кю [Kon — Kiu] }}
{{Ukraine borders}}
[[Category:Borders of Ukraine|*]]