Paper title:
 Evolution of the Border Guard of Ukraine and Adjacent European Countries: Historical Retrospective
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4316/CC.2024.01.06
Published in:
Issue 1 (Vol. 30) / 2024
Publishing date:
2024-07-31
Pages:
123 - 142
Author(s):
Mykola Kabachynskyi, Oleh Ananіn
Abstract:
 The Russian armed aggression in 2014 created a strong necessity for Ukrainian border police to secure the state border, prevent the infiltration of armed terrorists and defend the country against a possible invasion by Russian armed forces. However, at the time, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service was a law enforcement agency with control and police functions while the military component was not considered primary. Some contemporary researchers believe that was one of the main reasons for the vulnerability of Ukraine’s state border in 2014, and that the premature reduction of the military capabilities of border guards in favour of law enforcement control contributed to it. This retrospective analysis explains why the transformation of Ukraine’s military border guard institution into a law enforcement agency following the European model, which took place within the framework of Ukraine’s European integration aspirations, was a logical necessity in the absence of territorial claims from adjacent states and a real military threat to Ukraine. At the same time, the reform of the border guard institution in Ukraine took place in close cooperation with neighbouring countries and the European community, aiming to improve the entire border security system. Currently, the border guard institutions of the European Union are responsible for guarding a significant external section of the state border with Ukraine. Therefore, comprehensive knowledge of the history of these structures’ development will be of use to the personnel of the Ukrainian specialized state institutions operating at the border and to the citizens of the EU member states.
Keywords:
 history of border security, external borders of the European Union, border guard institution, law enforcement agencies, armed aggression, state border






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