State Border of Ukraine
Encyclopedia
State Border of Ukraine is an international boundary of the state territory of Ukraine
. According to the Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine on the State Border it is a line and a vertical surface that stretches along that line, which define the boundary of territory of Ukraine over the land, water, and air space.
Protection of the State Border of Ukraine is conducted by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
(on the Earth's surface) and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (in air and underwater).
, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Russia
, and Belarus. The total stretch of the Ukrainian border consists of 6992.98 km (4,345.2 mi). In reality Ukraine does not have real established and ratified borders with Russia, Belarus, and Moldova (republics of the former Soviet Union
). The borders with other countries were "inherited" from the Soviet border patrol service which was recreated into the Ukrainian after the fall of the Soviet Union
.
Ukraine also exclusively leased until 2017 part of territory of Sevastopol
municipality to the Russian Black Sea Fleet for its transition outside of Ukraine to Novorossiysk
, which contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine
. In 2010 scandalous Kharkiv Agreements were ratified by both sides (Russian and Ukrainian), which extended the lease for addition 25 with optional five year extension if necessary. The agreements were also part of the famous Russia–Ukraine gas disputes which sprang out onto the international scale.
!Country
!Length
|-
|Poland
|542.39 km (337 mi) including 187.3 km (116.4 mi) by rivers
|-
|Slovakia
|97.85 km (60.8 mi) including 2.3 km (1.4 mi) by rivers
|-
|Hungary
|136.7 km (84.9 mi) including 85.1 km (52.9 mi) by rivers
|-
|Romania
|613.8 km (381.4 mi) including 292.2 km (181.6 mi) by rivers and 33 km (20.5 mi) by Black Sea
|-
|Moldova
|1222 km (759.3 mi) including 267 km (165.9 mi) by rivers (border with Transdnistria - 452 km (280.9 mi))
|-
|Russia
|2063.04 km (1,281.9 mi) including 1974.04 km (1,226.6 mi) by land and 321 km (199.5 mi) by sea
|-
|Belarus
|975.2 km (606 mi) including 325.9 km (202.5 mi) by rivers
|}>
over the distance of 33 km, after that it is a boundary of the Ukrainian territorial waters and the Romanian Economic Zone. The Ukrainian territorial waters include the Snake Island. From there stretches the Ukrainian Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ) towards the Kerch Strait stretching 22224 m (72,913.4 ft) from its Black Sea coast.
At the eastern region of Black Sea to the south of the Kerch Strait the Ukrainian Economic Zone adjoins the Russian Economic Zone in Black Sea. From that point starts the Russia - Ukraine border of territorial water which stretches northward for 22.5 km (14 mi) towards the southern edge of the Kerch Strait. After that the boundary continues as the Russia - Ukraine border though the Kerch Strait (49 km (30.4 mi)) and over the Azov Sea (249.5 km (155 mi)) where it divides the internal waters
of both countries towards the edge of land border on the northern coast of Azov Sea. The total length of the sea border consists of 1355 km (842 mi), out of which 1056.5 km (656.5 mi) stretches over the Black Sea
.
became a major dispute between Russia and Ukraine in 2003. The island is located in the Kerch Strait and administratively is part of Crimea
. During the Soviet period the island along with Crimea was transferred to Ukraine in 1954, the fact which is also was fiercely contested by several Russian politicians the legal background of the territorial change.
The main trade routes lay completely within the deeper part of the Kerch Strait which is located between the island and Crimea and considered a part of territorial waters of Ukraine. On the other hand ships are impeded to travel to the east of the island (towards the Taman peninsula
) due to the fact that there are shallow waters. Between Tuzla and Taman peninsula are two channels, however none of them are deeper than 3 m (9.8 ft). The fish spawn
also mainly takes place in the territorial waters of Ukraine, which is favorable for the fishing industry of Crimea. The intensity of the conflict increased due to the forecast of locations of oil and gas in the area and the lack of an established and ratified international border between Russia and Ukraine. On the proposition of the Russian side it is offered for the border to stretch along the bed of the territorial waters, while sharing the use of Azov Sea and Kerch Strait waters.
Historical overview
Until 1925 the island was part of the Taman spit located within the Kuban-Black Sea Oblast and later the North Caucasus Krai
. During a big storm that took place in the Kerch Strait the western portion of the spit was separated from continent becoming an island. On January 7, 1941, during the World War II
the island was transferred to the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
(later Crimean Oblast
) which in 1954 was transferred to Ukraine.
.
At first Romania did not recognize the island as part of the Ukrainian territory, but later its belonging was not discussed. However Romania decided to reclassify the island as a rock without the rights on the adjacent territorial waters and EEZ. The island which has an area of 16 ha (39.5 acre) is strategically important for the control over the Danube delta and the surrounding water areas through which lay several trade routes. Within close proximity to the island were detected reserves of hydrocarbon
s that are better known as fossil fuels.
By legend the island is a place of burial of one of the Greek heroes Achilles
and at one time here stood a temple commemorating his name. In the neighboring area were found several archeologically valuable objects. Currently the dispute is settled and the Snake island was recognized as the part of Ukrainian territory, however its adjacent waters (EEZ of Ukraine) became limited.
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. According to the Article 1 of the Law of Ukraine on the State Border it is a line and a vertical surface that stretches along that line, which define the boundary of territory of Ukraine over the land, water, and air space.
Protection of the State Border of Ukraine is conducted by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
State Border Guard Service of Ukraine is the border guard of Ukraine. It is an independent law enforcement agency of special assignment, the head of which is subordinated to the President of Ukraine...
(on the Earth's surface) and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (in air and underwater).
General scope
Ukraine borders with seven countries: PolandBorders of Poland
The Borders of Poland are 3511 or 3582 kilometers long. The neighboring countries are Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and Lithuania and the Russian province of Kaliningrad Oblast to the northeast...
, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Russia
Borders of Russia
Russia has international borders with 14 sovereign states as well as South Ossettia and Abkhazia, which are both recognized as sovereign states by Russia and a small number of other countries...
, and Belarus. The total stretch of the Ukrainian border consists of 6992.98 km (4,345.2 mi). In reality Ukraine does not have real established and ratified borders with Russia, Belarus, and Moldova (republics of the former Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
). The borders with other countries were "inherited" from the Soviet border patrol service which was recreated into the Ukrainian after the fall of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
.
Ukraine also exclusively leased until 2017 part of territory of Sevastopol
Sevastopol
Sevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
municipality to the Russian Black Sea Fleet for its transition outside of Ukraine to Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk
Novorossiysk is a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia. It is the country's main port on the Black Sea and the leading Russian port for importing grain. It is one of the few cities honored with the title of the Hero City. Population: -History:...
, which contradicts the Constitution of Ukraine
Constitution of Ukraine
The Constitution of Ukraine is the nation's fundamental law. The constitution was adopted and ratified at the 5th session of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on 28 June 1996. The constitution was passed with 315 ayes out of 450 votes possible .Other laws and other normative legal acts of Ukraine...
. In 2010 scandalous Kharkiv Agreements were ratified by both sides (Russian and Ukrainian), which extended the lease for addition 25 with optional five year extension if necessary. The agreements were also part of the famous Russia–Ukraine gas disputes which sprang out onto the international scale.
Borders with other states
On land Ukrainian border with the following countries stretches for 5637.98 km (3,503.3 mi). All territory of Ukraine is consistent and does not have any Ukrainian enclaves in other countries.!Length
|-
|Poland
|542.39 km (337 mi) including 187.3 km (116.4 mi) by rivers
|-
|Slovakia
Slovakia - Ukraine border
Slovakia - Ukraine border is an internationally established boundary between Slovakia and Ukraine. Both countries inherited it from their previous respective state organizations Ukraine from the Soviet Union, Slovakia from Czechoslavakia....
|97.85 km (60.8 mi) including 2.3 km (1.4 mi) by rivers
|-
|Hungary
|136.7 km (84.9 mi) including 85.1 km (52.9 mi) by rivers
|-
|Romania
|613.8 km (381.4 mi) including 292.2 km (181.6 mi) by rivers and 33 km (20.5 mi) by Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
|-
|Moldova
|1222 km (759.3 mi) including 267 km (165.9 mi) by rivers (border with Transdnistria - 452 km (280.9 mi))
|-
|Russia
|2063.04 km (1,281.9 mi) including 1974.04 km (1,226.6 mi) by land and 321 km (199.5 mi) by sea
|-
|Belarus
|975.2 km (606 mi) including 325.9 km (202.5 mi) by rivers
|}>
Sea boundaries
The southern border of Ukraine stretches as the external boundary of the Ukrainian territorial waters. By sea Ukraine borders with Romania and Russia. To the west Romania - Ukraine border stretches from the edge of its land segment across the Black SeaBlack Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
over the distance of 33 km, after that it is a boundary of the Ukrainian territorial waters and the Romanian Economic Zone. The Ukrainian territorial waters include the Snake Island. From there stretches the Ukrainian Exclusive Economic Zone
Exclusive Economic Zone
Under the law of the sea, an exclusive economic zone is a seazone over which a state has special rights over the exploration and use of marine resources, including production of energy from water and wind. It stretches from the seaward edge of the state's territorial sea out to 200 nautical...
(EEZ) towards the Kerch Strait stretching 22224 m (72,913.4 ft) from its Black Sea coast.
At the eastern region of Black Sea to the south of the Kerch Strait the Ukrainian Economic Zone adjoins the Russian Economic Zone in Black Sea. From that point starts the Russia - Ukraine border of territorial water which stretches northward for 22.5 km (14 mi) towards the southern edge of the Kerch Strait. After that the boundary continues as the Russia - Ukraine border though the Kerch Strait (49 km (30.4 mi)) and over the Azov Sea (249.5 km (155 mi)) where it divides the internal waters
Internal waters
A nation's internal waters covers all water and waterways on the landward side of the baseline from which a nation's territorial waters is defined. It includes waterways such as rivers and canals, and sometimes the water within small bays. According to the United Nations Convention on the Law of...
of both countries towards the edge of land border on the northern coast of Azov Sea. The total length of the sea border consists of 1355 km (842 mi), out of which 1056.5 km (656.5 mi) stretches over the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
.
Tuzla Spit and Azov Sea basin
The island Tuzla SpitTuzla Island
Tuzla Spit Island is a sandy islet in a form of a spit located in the middle of the Strait of Kerch between the Kerch Peninsula in the west and the Taman Peninsula in the east.-Conflict:...
became a major dispute between Russia and Ukraine in 2003. The island is located in the Kerch Strait and administratively is part of Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
. During the Soviet period the island along with Crimea was transferred to Ukraine in 1954, the fact which is also was fiercely contested by several Russian politicians the legal background of the territorial change.
The main trade routes lay completely within the deeper part of the Kerch Strait which is located between the island and Crimea and considered a part of territorial waters of Ukraine. On the other hand ships are impeded to travel to the east of the island (towards the Taman peninsula
Taman peninsula
The Taman Peninsula is a peninsula in the present-day Krasnodar Krai of Russia. It is bounded on the north by the Sea of Azov, on the west by the Strait of Kerch and on the south by the Black Sea. The peninsula has evolved over the past two millennia from a chain of islands into the peninsula it is...
) due to the fact that there are shallow waters. Between Tuzla and Taman peninsula are two channels, however none of them are deeper than 3 m (9.8 ft). The fish spawn
Spawn (biology)
Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...
also mainly takes place in the territorial waters of Ukraine, which is favorable for the fishing industry of Crimea. The intensity of the conflict increased due to the forecast of locations of oil and gas in the area and the lack of an established and ratified international border between Russia and Ukraine. On the proposition of the Russian side it is offered for the border to stretch along the bed of the territorial waters, while sharing the use of Azov Sea and Kerch Strait waters.
Historical overview
Until 1925 the island was part of the Taman spit located within the Kuban-Black Sea Oblast and later the North Caucasus Krai
North Caucasus Krai
North Caucasus Krai was an administrative division of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic. It was established on October 17, 1924. After undergoing numerous administrative changes, it was renamed Ordzhonikidze Krai , after Sergo Ordzhonikidze, in March 1937, and Stavropol Krai on...
. During a big storm that took place in the Kerch Strait the western portion of the spit was separated from continent becoming an island. On January 7, 1941, during the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the island was transferred to the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic
Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was created on October 18, 1921 as Crimean Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic of RSFSR in place of Taurida Governorate and within the Crimean Peninsula,...
(later Crimean Oblast
Crimean Oblast
The Crimean Oblast was an oblast of the former Russian SFSR and Ukrainian SSR , which was at the time part of the Soviet Union. Its capital was the city of Simferopol....
) which in 1954 was transferred to Ukraine.
Snake Island (settled dispute)
From the times of Ukraine gaining its independence the Snake island, the Ukrainian territorial waters, and the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Ukraine was contested by RomaniaRomania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
At first Romania did not recognize the island as part of the Ukrainian territory, but later its belonging was not discussed. However Romania decided to reclassify the island as a rock without the rights on the adjacent territorial waters and EEZ. The island which has an area of 16 ha (39.5 acre) is strategically important for the control over the Danube delta and the surrounding water areas through which lay several trade routes. Within close proximity to the island were detected reserves of hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....
s that are better known as fossil fuels.
By legend the island is a place of burial of one of the Greek heroes Achilles
Achilles
In Greek mythology, Achilles was a Greek hero of the Trojan War, the central character and the greatest warrior of Homer's Iliad.Plato named Achilles the handsomest of the heroes assembled against Troy....
and at one time here stood a temple commemorating his name. In the neighboring area were found several archeologically valuable objects. Currently the dispute is settled and the 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 UkraineMaritime delimitation between Romania and UkraineMaritime delimitation between Romania and Ukraine in the Black Sea was conducted by the International Court of Justice. On September 16, 2004 the Romanian side brought a case to the Court following unsuccessful bilateral negotiations...
- Bystroye ChannelBystroye ChannelThe Bystroye Channel is a channel in the Danube Delta. It was among the main Ukrainian waterways until 1959, when its exploitation stopped due to natural silting.There was a project proposed by Ukraine to reopen its navigation...
- Black Sea FleetBlack Sea FleetThe Black Sea Fleet is a large operational-strategic sub-unit of the Russian Navy, operating in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea since the late 18th century. It is based in various harbors of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov....