Passenger traffic has decreased at Ukraine's western border, according to the State Border Guard Service

Passenger traffic across Ukraine’s western border from October 3 to 9 decreased by 2.1 percent, to 525,000 crossings. The number of people leaving the country and those entering remained nearly the same, despite Russian shelling and disruptions to electricity and water supplies. 

According to the State Border Guard Service, the number of border crossings out of Ukraine during the week decreased to 262,000, compared to 265,000 the previous week.

At the same time, the number of entries fell to 263,000 from 271,000 the previous week.

The number of vehicles passing through border checkpoints also decreased: to 125,000 from 128,000. The number of vehicles carrying humanitarian cargo fell from 422 to 383.

The highest daily outbound traffic was recorded on Saturday—43,000 crossings—and the highest inbound traffic was recorded on Sunday—46,000. The fewest people left the country on Tuesday—34,000—and the fewest entered Ukraine on Wednesday—32,000.

As of 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, the largest number of passenger cars waiting to exit to Poland was recorded at the “Ustyluh” border crossing—45 vehicles.

At other border crossings, the lines were shorter:

• “Hrushiv”—15 cars;
• “Krakivets”—10 cars;
• “Shehyni”—10 cars;
• “Nyzhankovychi”—10 cars.

At the border with Slovakia, 15 cars were waiting at the “Uzhhorod” border crossing. At the border with Hungary, at the “Vylok” checkpoint, there were 10 vehicles, and at the border with Romania, at the “Krasnoilsk” checkpoint, there were also 10.

During the same period last year, passenger traffic across the Ukrainian border decreased by 8.2%—to 515,000 crossings. At that time, the number of outbound crossings exceeded the number of inbound crossings by 9,000.

Over the next two weeks, passenger traffic remained stable, after which it increased by 10.3% during the fall school break.

After the start of the full-scale invasion, border crossing trends fluctuated repeatedly. From May 10 to September 23, 2022, the influx of people into Ukraine predominated, totaling 409,000 people according to the data provided. By the end of September, the situation had changed: the number of people leaving began to exceed the number of those entering. Possible reasons cited included news of mobilization in Russia, pseudo-referendums in the occupied territories, and massive strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

According to the State Border Guard Service, during the second year of the full-scale war, the number of outbound crossings exceeded the number of inbound crossings by 25,000; during the third year—by 187,000; in the fourth year—by 221,000, and since the start of the fifth year—by 77,000.

In its July inflation report, the National Bank of Ukraine maintained its estimate of the net population outflow from Ukraine in 2025 at 300,000 people. Among the reasons cited were the deterioration of the security situation at the end of the year and the easing of exit rules for young people. This is lower than the estimate for net outflow in 2024, which stood at 500,000 people.

The NBU forecasts that in 2026, the net outflow of the population will amount to 200,000 people. According to the regulator’s forecast, a net return of citizens could begin in 2027 and amount to about 100,000 people, increasing to 500,000 in 2028.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as of June 30, 2026, there were 5.159 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe and 5.687 million worldwide.

By comparison, as of April 30, 2026, there were 5.213 million Ukrainian refugees in Europe, and the global total stood at 5.687 million.

At the same time, the number of internally displaced persons in Ukraine is rising. According to the latest UN data for July 2026, there were 3.80 million IDPs in Ukraine. By comparison, there were 3.70 million in January of this year and 3.34 million in July 2025.

This is evidenced by data from the State Border Guard Service.

Due to the traditional increase in passenger traffic ahead of the weekend, a backlog of vehicles waiting to leave Ukraine has been reported at the Ukrainian-Polish border within the Lviv region. Citizens are advised to take this situation into account when planning their trips and to choose less congested border crossing points.

At the “Yagodin” border crossing, two drivers of an international bus were detained after attempting to bribe a border guard with $10,000.

Specialized defense prosecutors in the Western Region—covering Lviv, Volyn, and Zakarpattia Oblasts—have uncovered five schemes involving the illegal smuggling of men of draft age across Ukraine’s state border.