Starting August 31, 2026, the first "phantom patrols" will begin operating in Kyiv and the Kyiv region — three patrol police service vehicles that are virtually indistinguishable from civilian cars on the outside, but equipped with systems for automatically recording speed violations. This was announced by Alexey Beloshitsky, head of the Patrol Police Department, in his Telegram channel, as reported by RBC-Ukraine. According to him, after Kyiv and the region, such vehicles are planned to be deployed in other regions as well, and their number will increase over time.
What are the "phantom patrols"
The main feature of these vehicles is their stealth-like appearance: they do not stand out on the road with special signals or distinctive paint, which makes their work unpredictable for drivers. At the same time, each car is equipped inside with a set of technical devices capable of measuring the speed of other vehicles both while moving and while on a specific stretch of road. As noted by the DPPP (Patrol Police Department), such vehicles are able to record speeding in both directions — both in the same direction of travel and in the oncoming direction. Visually, the first "phantoms" are represented by three dark green Skoda Kodiaq crossovers with Ukrainian license plates, which confirms their status as official service vehicles rather than civilian ones.
How violations will be recorded
The system operates on the principle of "non-stop" monitoring: after measuring the speed, the complex automatically reads and recognizes the vehicle's license plate, the data is cross-checked with the relevant databases, and then the information is transmitted to the automatic recording system. On its basis, an administrative offense ruling is formed automatically, and in most cases the driver is not even stopped. For coverage, the vehicles are equipped with two video cameras that record violations both in front of and behind the service vehicle, allowing traffic to be monitored in both directions.
When a driver will still be stopped
Automatic mode is not the only scenario. In the event of a serious violation, in particular creating a hazardous situation, patrol officers have the right to stop the driver. After that, the inspectors review the administrative offense case in accordance with the requirements of Article 35 of the Law of Ukraine "On the National Police." Thus, the "phantoms" combine both remote mass monitoring and classic patrolling for the most dangerous cases.
Context: expansion of the automatic enforcement network
The launch of the "phantom patrols" comes against the backdrop of a general strengthening of road control in Ukraine. A reminder from the DPPP: from August 20, 50 new automatic recording cameras have been put into operation across the country, six of which were installed in the Kyiv region — on the N-01, R-69, N-07, M-01-01 and M-07 highways. The cameras monitor traffic in the directions of Leonivka, the Kyiv Hydroelectric Power Station, Hoholeve, Boryspil and Kyiv. "The main goal of the 'phantoms' is to reduce the number of people injured and killed on the roads of Ukraine," concluded the head of the Patrol Police Department.
