ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL EQUIPMENT OF THE BORDER AND DEMARCATION LINES BETWEEN UKRAINE AND RUSSIA

Problem Statement. The state border with Russia spans 2,295 km out of Ukraine’s total border length of nearly 6,993 km, which includes 1,355 km of maritime boundaries. The development of the State Border Guard and Protection System as a Component of National Security is driven by diverse threats emerging in the border area. The main challenges were caused by Russia’s war against Ukraine, which has led to the temporary occupation of parts of Ukraine’s territory, active hostilities, terrorist attacks, and an increase in the smuggling of weapons, ammunition, and other means of warfare. Today, ensuring an adequate level of border security and protection requires the enhancement of engineering and technical infrastructure along Ukraine’s state border and the demarcation lines resulting from occupying parts of the country. The purpose of the article is to analyze the historical experience of organizing the protection of Ukraine’s state borders, modern domestic and international practices of border engineering and technical arrangements, and to develop a concept for the future post-war design of Ukraine’s border and demarcation line. Conclusion. Russia’s war against Ukraine, launched in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions, has necessitated a fundamental rethinking of Ukraine’s engineering and technical border arrangements. Given that Ukraine borders an aggressive neighbor, Russia, and its satellite state, Belarus, the military threat of invasion will remain into the post-war period. Drawing on lessons from full-scale warfare, Ukraine now requires a comprehensive, multi-layered defense system for its borders and demarcation lines, integrating: physical barriers (fortifications, minefields), digital technologies (radars, thermal cameras, smart sensors, drones, cyber defenses), and active deterrence (missile defense systems, “drone walls”). This concept should be used to develop the engineering and technical arrangement of the border and demarcation line between Ukraine and Russia.