Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving their country, with some exceptions. But tens of thousands of Ukrainians are estimated to have left the country.
Ukrainian soldiers in Ukraine, January 15, 2025. (AFP / GENYA SAVILOV)
Faced with significant difficulties in mobilizing troops to replenish the ranks of its army, Ukraine is attacking the networks which allow the flight abroad of men resistant to military mobilization. The Ukrainian police announced on Friday January 17 that they were carrying out “more than 200 searches”.
“The police (…) began carrying out searches in 19 regions of Ukraine at the homes of those involved,” she said in a statement.
Ukraine, which has been fighting for three years against the Russian invasion, is struggling to replenish the ranks of its army which is suffering heavy losses and desertions in the face of more numerous and better equipped Russian troops who have been gaining ground for months, in particularly in the east of the country.
Last week, the police had already announced to carry out more than 600 searches, the first stage of
a “special operation” intended to dismantle the networks
helping those resisting the army to cross the border illegally.
False papers and bribes
Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving their country, with some exceptions. Those wanting to escape possible mobilization therefore cross the border illegally. Unofficial estimates indicate
thousands, even tens of thousands, of Ukrainians who may have left illegally
thanks to smugglers, false papers or bribes paid to border guards. Dozens of them have lost their lives trying to swim across border rivers.
Struck with scandals, the military mobilization system is widely criticized in Ukraine and widely considered to be inefficient, corrupt and unfair, which prompted President Volodymyr Zelensky to dismiss all regional officials responsible for mobilization in 2023.
Swiss
