State Border Guard Service of Ukraine

State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (Державна Прикордонна Служба України, Derzhavna Prykordonna Sluzhba Ukrayiny; abbr. ДПСУ, DPSU) is the border guard of Ukraine. It is an independent law enforcement agency of special assignment, the head of which is subordinated to the President of Ukraine.

The Service was created on July 31, 2003 after the reorganization of the State Committee in Affairs for Protection the State Border. All the activities of the agency as well as the Sea Guard are regulated by the State Committee in Affairs for Protection of the State Border (shortly DerzhKordon). During wartime, units of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine fall under the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine includes the Ukrainian Sea Guard (the country's coast guard). It is also responsible for running "Temporary Detention Centres", in which refugees are held.

Current Staff
The current head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine is Colonel-General Mykola Mykhailovych Lytvyn (brother of Volodymyr Lytvyn). There are two first deputies: Colonel-General Pavlo Shysholin, responsible for Border Security, and Colonel-General Mykhaylo Koval, responsible for personnel/staffing.

Structure

 * Main Directories
 * West Region (Lviv)
 * North Region (Zhytomyr)
 * East Region (Kharkiv)
 * South Region (Odessa)
 * Azov-Black Sea Region (Simferopol)
 * Separate controlled border checkpoint "Kyiv" (OKPP Kyiv)

Temporary Detention Centres

 * Pavschino (Military Unit 2142)

History
Ukrainian border guards are national successors of the Soviet Border Troops. They were formed from the approximately 17,000 Border Troops located in Ukraine. The organisation was first titled in 1991 the "Ukrainian Border Troops", which was later subordinated to the "Ukraine's State Committee for State Border Guarding".

From 1991 to at least 1993, the new borders with Russia and Belarus were not guarded; the Border Troops were only deployed along the western borders (minus Moldova) and on the Black Sea. This situation recognised, another 9,000 personnel were added to the Border Troops at the expense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and by the end of 1993, border posts were established in the north along the Russian and Belarus borders. In 1999 the authorised strength of the force was again increased to 50,000.

In 2003 new legislation was adopted, and this somewhat changed the legal status of the institution. In March 2003, the Border Troops became the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, and its status was legally changed from 'military formation' to 'special law-enforcement body.' The force was legally granted 50,000 personnel including 8,000 civilian employees.

On 4 July 2012, a State Border Guard Service Diamond DA42 aircraft failed to make its scheduled radio contact with ground units. SAR mission revealed the plane has crashed into wooded mountainous area in Velykyi Bereznyi Raion, killing all 3 crew members on board. An investigation is underway.