Ukraine Seals Off 1-Kilometer Strip Along Russia, Belarus Borders Under Special Regime

Ukraine has imposed a special border regime along a one-kilometer strip running the length of its state frontier with Russia and Belarus, barring free entry. Residence, movement, and any work unrelated to defense or border protection for the duration of martial law.

This was announced on the government's official website on September 10, which confirmed that the measure had already entered into force and that border-protection agencies had begun implementing the new rules.

The government explained that the restrictions respond to "the need to resolve urgent issues related to strengthening the state's defense capability" amid Russia's continuing armed aggression and the possible use of Belarusian territory for reconnaissance and subversive activity. It emphasized that the limits are temporary and will apply exclusively during the martial law regime.

Within the designated zone, the resolution prohibits free entry, stay, residence, and movement of persons, as well as any work not connected to repelling armed aggression, defense, or the protection of the state border. The government noted that the restrictions extend to all land plots within the one-kilometer strip along the border.

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Officials framed the measure as a response to risks, including the destabilization of the social and political situation in border regions and the creation of conditions that could threaten Ukraine's national interests. The government also cited the goal of avoiding danger to civilians in these areas and minimizing the risks of unauthorized presence along the frontier.

The restrictions build on measures introduced at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. On February 26, 2022, the Ukrainian government temporarily closed all border crossing points with Russia and Belarus after Russian forces attacked Ukraine from both countries, while allowing Ukrainian citizens to return home through the border.

This move fits a wider pattern of states hardening the frontier facing Russia and Belarus, while Finland has completed roughly 200 kilometers of new fencing along selected sections of its border with Russia. The project launched in 2023 at a cost of approximately $413 million.

The barrier comprises metal mesh, surveillance cameras, lighting, and loudspeakers, along with a dedicated patrol road.

The same border pressures have driven neighboring states to build physical defenses of their own. Lithuania has approved counter-mobility zones and engineering barriers along its frontiers with Belarus and Russia's Kaliningrad region, including a 20-meter-wide strip and the restoration of wetlands to slow the movement of heavy military equipment, with the measures phased in through the end of the decade.

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