---
title: "\"Border crossings are working, but with caveats\": Ukraine's State Border Service explains when the border is closed and where the queues for Moldova come from"
description: "SBSU spokesperson Andrei Demchenko said that all five crossings attacked by Russia are working, but during air alerts border control operations are suspended. The service links the queues at the Moldovan border with organized groups of Hasids."
date: 2026-09-14T13:58:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/gpsu-border-crossings-working-but-with-caveats-queues-moldova
tags: [ukraine-border, gpsu, border-crossings, russia-attacks, moldova-border, hasids, air-alerts]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "Border crossings are working, but with caveats": Ukraine's State Border Service explains when the border is closed and where the queues for Moldova come from

![Armed Ukrainian Border Guard officer with rifle and baton stands at a checkpoint, cars in a queue in the background](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/14/gpsu-situatsiya-na-granitse-i-ocheredi-na-moldovu/gpsu-situatsiya-na-granitse-i-ocheredi-na-moldovu-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- All five border crossings attacked by Russia (four on the border with Moldova and one with Romania) are working; border control operations were resumed within half a day to several days.
- During an air alert in a region, border control operations at the crossings within that territory are suspended — this is a stable practice, not a new measure.
- SBSU links the queues at the Moldovan border with organized groups of Hasids; according to the service, there were 30–50 vehicles on the "Palanka," "Staryi Kazachyi" and "Mogilev-Podilskyi" directions.
- SBSU calls on people not to be near border crossings during alerts, in order to avoid gatherings of people that the enemy is targeting.

Ukrainian border crossings on the western and southern directions have for some time been operating under conditions of constant aerial terror from Russia. Recently, according to Andrei Demchenko, spokesperson for the State Border Service of Ukraine (SBSU), the enemy attacked a train and a gas station near the "Yahodyn" border crossing in Volyn — both strikes hit the road and rail directions of this checkpoint. RBC-Ukraine asked the SBSU representative about how the border is currently organized, whether crossings are closed during air alerts, and why queues periodically appear at the Moldovan border.

### Standard mode with caveats: how the border works under fire

According to Demchenko, overall the border crossings operate in standard mode; however, security is directly affected by shelling and air alerts. As soon as an air alert is declared in a region or a specific district — whether it is the section of the border with Moldova or with EU countries — border control operations at the crossings located within that territory are suspended. The spokesperson emphasizes that this is not a new practice "from today or yesterday," but a stable situation that has been affecting the border for a certain period.

### Five attacked crossings: from Odesa to Volyn

In the last three weeks, according to SBSU data, the crossings themselves within Odesa Oblast came under attack, and there, taking into account the security situation even before the strikes, border control operations were also suspended. A similar picture was observed at the Polish border: within Volyn Oblast the enemy massively attacked the region for several days in a row, and in this oblast border control operations were suspended. In total, as the spokesperson clarified, Russia attacked five border crossings — four on the border with Moldova and one on the border with Romania.

### Return to work: mobile structures and equipment

On all attacked directions, border control operations were resumed as quickly as possible — in some cases within half a day, in others within several days, depending on the state of the infrastructure. At some crossings, buildings and structures necessary for ensuring border control operations were destroyed. In such cases, additional technical means and mobile structures for placing the workplaces of the control services were brought in as needed, after which work was restored. As of the time of the statement, all five attacked crossings, according to Demchenko, are working.

### Queues at the Moldovan border: Hasids and real figures

The topic of queues at the Moldovan border, according to SBSU's assessment, is largely connected with Hasids, who move in organized groups both entering and leaving Ukraine. As of the day of the statement, on the "Palanka," "Staryi Kazachyi" and "Mogilev-Podilskyi" directions there were overall 30 to 50 vehicles across the different directions, which, according to the spokesperson, is not a significant load for the border crossings. The peak of Hasid entry fell on the four days before their New Year — up to the 11th, from Monday to Thursday, when 5 to 15 thousand people per day were entering. The exit, according to SBSU's forecast, will go in similar groups, possibly even slightly larger, but not only through Moldova — also through the borders with Poland and Romania.

### Contradictory data

Here there is a notable gap between the media picture and the official statistics. In open sources and social networks, photos and reports of a "mass influx" and long queues at the Moldovan border are periodically published, while SBSU names significantly smaller figures — 30–50 vehicles on the directions, which the service characterizes as a non-significant load. A similar mismatch existed before: at the "Medyka" (Polish side) / "Shehyni" (Ukrainian side) crossing, organized groups of Hasids arriving by bus were filmed, who quickly cleared and left — that is, the visual "influx" did not correspond to a real queue. Moreover, "standard mode" of work of all crossings is officially proclaimed, while at the same time it is acknowledged that during alerts border control operations are suspended, and at some checkpoints the infrastructure was destroyed. Both versions — "everything is working" and "operations are interrupted / infrastructure is destroyed" — coexist in one statement and reflect different levels: the nominal status of the crossing and the actual dynamics at the moment of the alert.

### Call for safety: do not stay at border crossings

SBSU calls on citizens to independently take into account the aerial terror and not to neglect safety. When border control operations are suspended, border patrols do everything possible to disperse people beyond the border crossing as quickly as possible, so that there are no gatherings — it is precisely on them, according to the assessment of Russia's actions in the Odesa region, that the enemy aims. The service directly recommends not to be near border crossings during alerts.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Alert at the border. When a border crossing cannot be passed and where the queues for Moldova come from](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/trivoga-kordoni-koli-punkt-propusku-proyti-1789394104.html) - Первичный источник: интервью спикера ГПСУ А. Демченко. Подтверждает штатный режим с приостановками при тревогах, пять атакованных КПП, цифры по очередям и хасидам.
- [Russia attacks border crossings: SBSU names the goal of such actions](https://24tv.ua/ru/ataki-na-kontrolno-propusknye-punkty-v-gpsu-objasnili-pochemu-rossija-ih-atakuet_n3139415) - Контекст: подтверждает факт атак РФ на пограничные пункты и объяснение цели таких действий со стороны ГПСУ.
- [There could have been more victims: SBSU names the main goal of the attacks on border crossings](https://24tv.ua/ru/kpp-starokozache-proizoshli-vzryvy-gpsu-rasskazali-o-podrobnostjah_n3138914) - Контекст: подтверждает факт атак РФ на пограничные пункты и объяснение цели таких действий со стороны ГПСУ.
- [Strike on a border crossing at the Moldovan border: SBSU reports details on the killed](https://www.unian.net/society/starokazache-stali-izvestny-detali-o-pogibshih-v-rezultate-udara-po-punktu-propuska-novosti-odessy-13494540.html) - Подтверждает удар по КПП на границе с Молдовой; конкретные цифры погибших в основной текст не переносились из-за отсутствия в первичном интервью.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Are the border crossings attacked by Russia currently working?
**A:** According to the SBSU spokesperson, all five attacked crossings (four on the border with Moldova and one with Romania) are working. Border control operations at them were resumed within half a day to several days, depending on the state of the infrastructure; mobile structures and equipment were brought in as needed.

### Q: Are border crossings closed during an air alert?
**A:** Yes. If an air alert is declared in a region or district, border control operations at the crossings within that territory are suspended. The service emphasizes that this is a stable practice, not a new measure.

### Q: Where do the queues at the Moldovan border come from?
**A:** SBSU links them mainly with organized groups of Hasids who enter and leave in groups. According to the service, 30–50 vehicles were observed on the "Palanka," "Staryi Kazachyi" and "Mogilev-Podilskyi" directions, which the service considers a non-significant load.

### Q: What does SBSU recommend people near border crossings do during alerts?
**A:** The service calls on people not to neglect safety and not to be near border crossings during alerts, in order to avoid gatherings of people that, according to the assessment of Russia's actions, the enemy is targeting.