On weekends in June, queues at "Shehyni" or "Ustyluh" can last several hours. But behind the picture of seasonal rush hides another phenomenon — demographic.
Record without sensation
According to the spokesman of the State Border Guard Service Andrii Demchenko, if in spring the border was crossed by about 85 thousand people daily, then in June this figure consistently exceeds 100 thousand, and on weekends reaches 115 thousand. The reason is the vacation season, traditional for any peaceful year.
The greatest load is recorded on the Polish direction — specifically at the border checkpoints "Shehyni" and "Ustyluh". Demchenko recommends choosing early weekday hours and checking congestion in advance on the official SBGS resource, where data is updated every 10 minutes.
"In the morning, for example, on June 8, there were no queues for departure from Ukraine. That's why I advise people to check the congestion at border checkpoints and choose less congested routes".
Andrii Demchenko, SBGS spokesman
More departures than returns
Overall passenger flow is growing, but asymmetrically. According to data from the analytical platform "Opendatabot" based on SBGS statistics, in the first half of 2025, Ukrainians departed 7.17 million times and returned 6.92 million times. The difference is 250 thousand people who crossed the border and did not return.
For comparison: for the same period last year, this figure was 1.6 times larger. That is, the pace of "non-return departures" is slowing down — but has not stopped.
At the same time, the total number of crossings increased by 4% compared to the first half of 2024. Among all crossings, 85% accounts for Ukrainian citizens.
What this means
The example of the week from May 30 to June 5 illustrates the dynamics precisely: departures — 292 thousand, arrivals — 262 thousand. According to RBC-Ukraine, June is characterized by SBGS as "predominantly a departure month" — unlike July and August, when, according to Demchenko, arrivals traditionally exceed departures.
- Largest queues: "Shehyni" and "Ustyluh" (Polish direction)
- Least congested time: early weekday hours
- Peak of the week: evening hours and weekends
- Alternative: Romanian and Slovak directions — smaller queues
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, over 3 million Ukrainian citizens have left the country and have not returned — such an overall figure is cited by the SBGS.
If in July–August arrivals indeed exceed departures, as they did in 2024, the first half-year balance will partially decrease. But whether this becomes a sustainable trend depends on whether peace negotiations move from zero point by the end of summer.
