Moldova–Ukraine border

The Moldova–Ukraine border, the official border between Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, was established after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The length of the inland border is 1,222 kilometres (759 mi),^[1] of which 267 kilometres (166 mi) is fluvial (i.e., along rivers) and 955 kilometres (593 mi) is land border.^[2] About 454 kilometres (282 mi) of it constitutes the de facto border between Ukraine and the unrecognized breakaway republic of Transnistria.^[2]

The border runs from the northern Romania-Moldova-Ukraine tripoint in the northwest of the country, 4 kilometres (2.5 mi), from the Ukrainian village and border crossing of Mamalyha, Ukraine to Criva, Briceni, Moldova. It runs east until the city and border crossing of Mohyliv-Podilskyi, where it turns southeast and enters the channel of the river of Dniester. By the village of Nimereuca the territory of Transnistria begins, which ends by Purcari. Several kilometers further it turns west. By Basarabeasca District it turns south and runs until the southern Romania-Moldova-Ukraine tripoint near Galați, Romania and Reni, Ukraine, by the Danube.

As of 2014^[update] the border had 67 permanent official border crossings classified into three categories: international, for crossing by citizens of any state; interstate, for crossing only by citizens of Moldova and Ukraine; and local, for local border traffic. Of them, 25 crossings are along the territory held by the Transnistrian separatist regime and are not monitored by the Moldovan border guards.^[2] There is a unique situation with the Moldovan village of Palanca, Ștefan Vodă. European route E87, connecting Odesa and Bolhrad runs through a small stretch of Moldovan territory, turning the part of Ukraine west of Dniestr river into a de facto pene-exclave. The only way to reach Bolhrad without crossing the border is via the bridge on the spit over the Dniester Estuary near the town of Zatoka, part of highway H33.

In 2022, after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war (2022–present), checkpoints along the breakaway republic of Transnistria were closed.^[3] The Ukrainian government officially said that the measure prevents a potential invasion from the southwest. The border was even fortified with landmines.^[4]