# Security Services in Ukraine Canonical page: https://closeprotectionhire.com/countries/ukraine/ Security assessments and close protection for essential travel to Ukraine. Expert guidance on operating in an active conflict environment from operators with Ukraine. ## Regulations - **Licensing**: Security activity in Ukraine needs a licence under the Law of Ukraine No. 4616-VI of 22 March 2012 on Security Activity (Article 7). The licence conditions were approved by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 960 of 18 November 2015, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs has acted as the licensing authority. Martial law has changed how the sector works, so confirm a provider's current licence before engagement. - **Firearms**: The licence conditions for security activity (Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 960 of 2015) refer to non-lethal devices that fire rubber or similar projectiles. We have not confirmed in the law itself whether private security personnel may carry firearms in Ukraine. Ask any provider, in writing, which weapons its staff hold and under which permit. - **Foreign operators**: Article 11 of the Law on Security Activity says security personnel must be Ukrainian citizens aged at least 18, so a foreign officer cannot be employed as security personnel under the Law. International clients engage a licensed Ukrainian company. Take local legal advice before a foreign team carries out protective duties in Ukraine. Sources, checked 2026-10-07: - [Law of Ukraine No. 4616-VI of 22 March 2012 on Security Activity, text (Article 11)](https://kodeksy.com.ua/pro_ohoronnu_diyalnist/11.htm) - [Law of Ukraine on Security Activity, text (Article 7, licensing)](https://kodeksy.com.ua/print/pro_ohoronnu_diyalnist/7.htm) - [Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 960 of 18 November 2015 on licence conditions for security activity, text](https://kodeksy.com.ua/norm_akt/source-%D0%9A%D0%9C%D0%A3/type-%D0%9F%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0/960-18.11.2015.htm) - [DTKT news, Ministry of Internal Affairs as licensing authority for security activity (13 September 2013)](https://news.dtkt.ua/state/licenses/25669-kontrol-za-dotrimanniam-licenziinix-umov-oxoronnoyi-diialnosti-zdiisniuvatimetsia-po-novomu) ## Cities covered - **Kyiv**: Ukrainian capital under ongoing Russian missile and drone threat. Essential-travel-only destination. Active conflict. FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Ukraine. Security requires specialist warzone competencies. Ukraine has been in active war with Russia since February 24, 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion. The conflict is the largest conventional war in Europe since 1945. As of April 2026, the front line runs through eastern and southern Ukraine, but Russian missile and drone attacks affect Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, and other cities throughout the country. FCDO advises against all travel to parts of Ukraine and against all but essential travel to other areas, and the US State Department rates Ukraine at Level 4 (Do Not Travel). These are not routine advisories: they reflect an active warzone designation. Check the live FCDO page for the areas each part of the advice covers before any travel decision. ## Who operates in Ukraine Despite the advisory, Ukraine has a functioning government, an active humanitarian operation, and significant journalistic presence. Reconstruction contractors, humanitarian workers, diplomatic staff, and journalists all operate in Ukraine under various frameworks. These operations require specialist knowledge and ongoing commitment to safety protocols that go beyond conventional security management. ## Security for reconstruction operations International reconstruction and donor programmes for Ukraine have security requirements that are significant and growing. As areas are liberated from Russian occupation, assessment and reconstruction operations require security planning that addresses both residual landmine/unexploded ordnance risk and conventional personal security concerns. ## Warzone EP competencies Operating effectively in Ukraine requires competencies that differ from peacetime EP. Understanding of air defence systems, ability to identify incoming threats, shelter procedures, first aid trauma management (tourniquet application, wound packing), and communication under electronic warfare conditions are all required skills. Not all security professionals have these. Operators must be vetted specifically for warzone operational competence, not general EP credentials. Our vetted operators provide [close protection and executive protection](/services/executive-protection/) and [security driver services](/services/security-drivers/) across Ukraine. For a detailed local assessment, see our [Kyiv city briefing](/cities/kyiv/). ## Frequently asked questions ### Is travel to Ukraine currently possible? Travel to Ukraine is possible but FCDO advises against all travel to parts of the country. Commercial flights to Kyiv have not operated since February 2022. Access is by road from Poland, Romania, Moldova, Slovakia, or Hungary, or by train (including the overnight service from Warsaw and Przemysl). The decision to travel to Ukraine requires organisational risk acceptance at board level, a specific justification for the essential nature of travel, and comprehensive security planning by operators with active Ukraine warzone experience. ### What security is needed for essential travel to Ukraine? Essential travel to Ukraine requires: operators with genuine warzone experience and current Ukraine knowledge (not peacetime EP professionals), Hostile Environment and First Aid Training (HEFAT) for all personnel, real-time missile and drone alert monitoring, shelter protocols for every location visited, convoy and route protocols, communication redundancy, and emergency extraction planning. The planning burden is categorically different from conventional EP operations. ### Are there humanitarian exemptions for Ukraine travel? Humanitarian organisations (UN agencies, ICRC, major NGOs) operate in Ukraine under frameworks developed for the conflict environment. Journalists operate with specific accreditation. Some reconstruction and essential business travel continues. Each category has different protocols and different risk acceptance. Humanitarian operations are subject to UN UNDSS guidance and specific organisation security frameworks that have been developed over three years of conflict operations. ### What is the current threat environment in Kyiv? Kyiv is subject to Russian missile and drone attacks that occur irregularly but with sufficient frequency to require daily shelter-in-place awareness. The city's infrastructure, residential areas, and energy systems have been targeted. Air defence systems (primarily Ukrainian-operated Patriot and S-300 batteries supplemented by Western-supplied systems) intercept a significant proportion of incoming weapons but not all. Debris from intercepted missiles has caused civilian casualties. The situation as of April 2026 continues to evolve.