The Velykobereznyanskyi District Court of the Transcarpathian region has closed administrative proceedings against a programmer from Ternopil, who was accused of attempting to illegally cross the state border. We tell you the details of the case.
The Velykobereznyanskyi District Court of the Transcarpathian region has closed administrative proceedings against a programmer from Ternopil, who was accused of attempting to illegally cross the state border. We tell you the details of the case.
On January 2, 2026, a programmer from Trans-Parts LLC tried to leave for a business trip to Poland through the Smilnytsia checkpoint. However, border guards refused him permission to leave with the wording «failure to confirm the purpose of the trip abroad during the martial law period,» despite the presence of permission from the employer and an official order.
On his way home, the programmer used a navigator to plot the shortest route. After passing through several checkpoints without any comments from the officers, he was stopped at another checkpoint 5.3 km from the state border near the village of Zhornava.
Border guards drew up a report on an attempt to illegally cross the border outside the checkpoints. However, the programmer’s defense lawyers filed a motion to close the proceedings, arguing that there was no direct intent to illegally cross the border, no active actions aimed at approaching the border line, movement on public roads, and the presence of documents for legal departure (employer’s permit, official order).
The court concluded that the guilt of the IT workers was not proven: «The case materials did not include statements from witnesses, photos or videos that would confirm the circumstances indicated in the administrative offense report.»
The court noted key shortcomings in the prosecutor’s case: no specific actions were indicated that constitute the objective side of the offense, the detention took place at a considerable distance from the border, there is no evidence of movement towards the border with the aim of crossing it, and there are no documents confirming that the place of detention is within the border zone.
The court emphasized the principle of the presumption of innocence and the need to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The proceedings were closed due to the absence of elements of an administrative offense.
The decision can be appealed within 10 days to the Transcarpathian Court of Appeal through the Velykobereznyanskyi District Court.
