“The priority now is unit survivability in fast-moving combat, and the ability to operate autonomously in the grey zones”
That is how Colonel Roman Yuriev, Chief of the CBRN Defence Section at the Administration of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (SBGS), sums up the central change.
Russia’s full-scale aggression marked a turning point in the development of the chemical, biological, and radiological defence system of the SBGG of Ukraine. The war has forced a complete rethinking of the role of CBRN defence units. From responding to emergencies and dealing with their consequences, to continuous monitoring, real-time information sharing, threat forecasting, and proactive risk management.
Over the course of four years of full-scale war, CBRN defence units have undergone a far-reaching transformation. Organisational approaches, tactics, equipment, command arrangements, and cooperation with international partners have all changed. Today these units are an integral element of combat support. Their capabilities allow hazards to be detected in good time, military command and control bodies to be informed without delay, and risks to personnel to be minimised.
Chemical terror as the new reality of the war
One of the most dangerous challenges has been the systematic use of chemicals by Russian forces on the battlefield. The enemy regularly employs tear gas and choking agents (CS gas in particular), dropping them from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) directly into the dugouts and shelters of Ukrainian defenders.
The scale of these attacks keeps growing. In 2022, a single instance of chemical munitions being used against SBGS units was recorded. In 2023 there were 19, while in 2024, 248, in 2025, 411 and in early 2026, a further 48. In total, 727 instances of the enemy’s use of chemical munitions have been documented. Since the beginning of the full-scale aggression, more than 13,700 cases of the use of hazardous chemicals against Ukraine’s Defence Forces have been recorded.
Ukrainian border guards do not merely counter these threats, they also play an important role in documenting war crimes. CBRN defence specialists, working with investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine, carry out rapid sampling and gather evidence directly in the areas where chemicals have been used.
Analysis by the designated laboratories of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has confirmed the Russian Federation’s use of prohibited chemicals. The material collected by the Ukrainian side has become an important part of the international evidence base and contributed to US and European Union sanctions against enterprises of the Russian military-chemical complex.
“Mobility and speed have become decisive” – From Static Assets to Maneuverability
Rethinking the role of CBRN defence units inevitably changed the way they are being equipped and employed. Where the emphasis once laid on working with static specialist equipment, today’s battlefield demands maximum mobility, autonomy, and the ability to operate in a constantly shifting situation.
According to Colonel Yuriev, a modern CBRN defence unit must be ready to perform its tasks directly in the combat area, change position quickly and provide commanders with reliable information on the chemical, biological, and radiological situation.
CBRN reconnaissance teams are now equipped with high-mobility pick-up vehicles, digital chemical detectors, and modern radiation reconnaissance instruments. This allows them to assess the situation in the immediate area of operations and pass the results to command and control bodies in what is effectively real time.
A large-scale renewal of specialist equipment is running in parallel. Soviet-era systems are being replaced by mobile automated radiation monitoring systems (MARK) based on the Ford Transit and Peugeot Boxer, mobile automated decontamination systems (MAKSO) on the Volkswagen Crafter, and Roshel Senator MRAPs designed for work in high-threat conditions.
These new solutions have cut response times substantially, increased unit mobility, and made it possible to operate even in areas of intense fighting. Combined with modern detection equipment, they ensure that the information needed for command decisions and for the protection of personnel arrives in time.
“Minutes from detection to decision” – Digitalisation and NATO Standards
One of the most important strands of the reform has been the digitalisation of the CBRN defence system. Integrating specialist data into Delta (Ukraine’s national situational awareness system) has made it possible to move from the exchange of individual reports to a single information environment in which CBRN data is available to every military command and control body.
Brigadier General Volodymyr Kulahin, Chief of the Armament and Engineering Support Department at the SBGS Administration, stresses: “We have moved to a network-centric model in which the time from detecting a threat to taking a decision is reduced to minutes. The planning system is being rebuilt in line with NATO standards, and CBRN defence is no longer treated as a separate line of activity, it is integrated into every area of operational and service activity.”
Digital information exchange means that the results of radiological and chemical reconnaissance reach the command system almost instantly. CBRN incident reports can be generated automatically, hazard areas predicted, units warned in good time, and commanders supplied with current information for decision-making.
In parallel, the SBGS is actively implementing NATO standards in the field of CBRN defence. Since 2024, a number of core Alliance standards have been integrated into practice, governing CBRN reporting procedures, equipment requirements for units, the assessment of protective clothing, and the development of specialist CBRN capabilities.
Adopting these standards ensures interoperability with partner nations’ units, harmonisation of response and reporting procedures, lays the groundwork for effective Ukrainian participation in joint international activities, and for future integration into the Euro-Atlantic security system.
“CBRN defence has become an integral part of defence planning” – The Architecture of the Future
The transformation has not been confined to re-equipment and digitalisation. It has fundamentally changed the approach to defence planning, to capability development, and to the standing of CBRN defence within the national security system.
CBRN risks are now taken into account at every level, from strategic planning to the execution of combat tasks. Threat assessment, protective planning, response readiness, and the provision of the necessary capabilities have become inseparable elements of preparing and conducting operations.
Major General Serhii Bukoiemskyi, Director of the Material and Technical Support Directorate at the SBGS Administration, sets out the strategic vision: “We are building a long-term architecture of resilience, moving from a reactive model to proactive risk management, in which the overriding priority is preserving the lives and health of our service personnel.”
This philosophy now shapes the development of the SBGS CBRN defence system. Combat experience, modern technology, digitalisation, the adoption of NATO standards, and the support of international partners have produced a qualitatively new system, capable of operating effectively in a modern war.
Ukrainian border guards have not only adapted to new challenges; they have also built-up practical experience that is already attracting the interest of the international CBRN community. The solutions developed in monitoring, digital information exchange, response to CBRN threats, and capability development are serving as a basis for deeper cooperation with partner nations and for Ukraine’s further integration into the European and Euro-Atlantic security architecture.
