The number of people entering Ukraine has increased due to the weekend, holidays, and festive period
Videos of long queues at the Ukrainian border are circulating on social media, but the State Border Guard Service notes that this situation does not reflect the overall state of affairs at the border. The highest load is currently concentrated at two border crossing points with Poland, while there are no significant traffic jams in other directions.
This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing a comment from Andriy Demchenko, a representative of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
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Demchenko noted that the increase in passenger traffic began last Saturday when the spring break for schoolchildren started. At that time, the trend was towards leaving Ukraine, while on weekdays, the intensity of traffic decreased somewhat, although it remained higher than before the break.
According to the State Border Guard Service, on Friday, March 27, nearly 90,000 people crossed the border, and in the past 24 hours, the number rose to 107,000. While on Friday, the flows of entry and exit were roughly equal, on Saturday, there was a clear advantage for those returning to Ukraine, with 12,000 more individuals in that category.
What led to the increase in passenger traffic
“Currently, several factors are influencing passenger traffic for both yesterday and today. This is traditionally the weekend, Saturday-Sunday, when overall passenger traffic increases. This is also the end of the spring break, when mothers with children return to Ukraine because they need to get to educational institutions tomorrow. Additionally, we cannot rule out that some Ukrainians are returning for the Easter holidays,” explained the border service representative.
At the same time, he emphasized that it would be incorrect to speak of a mass return of Ukrainians specifically due to Easter. According to him, some people may indeed be traveling considering the festive period in European countries where Catholics celebrate Easter earlier, but this is just one of the factors.
Where the longest queues are recorded
“Traditionally, the largest passenger flow—50% of the total—occurs at the border with Poland. The videos currently circulating online are from this section. However, it is important to understand that among all the crossing points at the border with Poland, according to information from our Polish colleagues, the most people are passing through ‘Shehyni’ and ‘Krakowiec’,” added Demchenko.
As of now, there are about 200 vehicles in queues at each direction. Just the day before, the queue fluctuated around 150 vehicles. Meanwhile, the situation at other crossing points is significantly calmer.
“I would advise everyone to check the status of the crossing points’ load, as the neighboring side may also publish information, just as the Ukrainian side does for outgoing traffic, so that people can familiarize themselves with where there is less congestion and head there,” noted the representative of the State Border Guard Service.
What is happening at the pedestrian crossing “Medika – Shehyni”
Separately, the State Border Guard Service commented on the videos showing large crowds at the pedestrian crossing “Medika – Shehyni.”
Demchenko pointed out that this is the only pedestrian crossing on the border with Poland, so local gatherings there are possible. However, on Friday, 1,800 people crossed into Ukraine at this point, and yesterday, 2,100, indicating that no significant surge was recorded.
“Of course, when people are in queues, they make videos, which can escalate the situation, suggesting that the queues are excessively long. The queue also forms because people arrive simultaneously in a certain direction, and consequently, the time for processing such a large number of citizens increases,” the spokesperson noted.
What border guards recommend
Border guards advise checking the load of crossing points before traveling and, if possible, choosing less congested routes. According to Demchenko, Ukrainians should not focus solely on the most popular crossings, as this further increases the queues there.
“Traditionally, the most popular crossings are ‘Shehyni’, ‘Krakowiec’, and often ‘Rava-Ruska’. However, recalling, for example, the summer period when passenger traffic was also quite high, queues were recorded at all crossing points, especially on peak days. Now we see that more people are choosing the two—’Shehyni’ and ‘Krakowiec’,” he stated.
Demchenko concluded that at other crossing points, queues consist of only a few dozen vehicles, or as of now, there are none at all on the Polish side heading towards Ukraine.
Recall that Poland has extended temporary border controls at the border with Germany and Lithuania until October 1, 2026. Warsaw explained this by the threats of a hybrid migration attack from the regimes of Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko.
