Three years in prison for illegal border crossing: new bill initiated in Ukraine

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, has submitted to parliament a bill that significantly increases liability for offenses related to crossing the state border. This document introduces criminal liability for illegal departure and failure to comply with the established period of stay outside Ukraine for men of draft age.

According to Bill No. 13673, it is proposed to amend the Criminal Code of Ukraine by adding a new part to Article 332-2. It is established that illegal crossing or attempting to cross the state border during a state of war or emergency is prohibited if it occurs in any way outside checkpoints or without proper documents, or with forged documents. Such an offense is punishable by:

A fine in the amount of 7 to 10 thousand non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens (51-170 thousand hryvnias).
Or imprisonment for a term of up to three years.
However, a person may be exempt from criminal liability if they voluntarily return to Ukraine within three months after the border is redrawn and report this to law enforcement agencies before suspicion is raised.

In addition, the bill proposes introducing a new Article 337-1 to the Criminal Code, which regulates the violation of terms of stay outside Ukraine for conscripts, military conscripts, and reservists. For such a violation during a state of war or emergency, the following is provided:

A fine in the amount of 2 to 3 thousand non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens.
Or imprisonment for a term of three to five years.
A person will be able to avoid criminal liability if they return to Ukraine within one month after the expiration of the established period and voluntarily report this to law enforcement agencies.