Ineffectiveness of Lenient Punishments: Recidivist Border Crossers and Challenges of Inadequate Deterrence
The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has once again emphasized that the current system of administrative sanctions for border violations is insufficiently strict and ineffective in deterring offenders.
According to the spokesperson, Colonel Andriy Demchenko, the existing administrative fines and protocols do not exert adequate influence on violators who continuously seek opportunities to cross the state border illegally.He pointed out that many offenders receive minimal fines or face no real punishment, since decisions regarding their accountability are often made by the courts, and the fines are merely formalities incapable of preventing repeat attempts.
Demchenko highlighted that such leniency has led to a sharp increase in illegal border crossing attempts compared to pre-war times.
Since the beginning of this year, border guards have documented over 13,000 violations, including several thousand illegal crossing attempts.Unlike simple violators, criminal liability is only applicable to organizers of illegal transportation across the border, while ordinary offenders receive administrative fines, which often go unpaid or are too minimal to serve as a deterrent.
Demchenko shared examples of recidivists: some individuals are detained multiple times, and others try to cross the border more than ten times, all willing to pay hefty sums to avoid punishment.
The official emphasizes that there is an urgent need to strengthen responsibility measures to effectively secure borders and deter violations.