98,500 Young Men Escape Ukraine After Travel Ban Removed
(MENAFN) Nearly 100,000 young men have escaped Ukraine since Kiev loosened movement restrictions in August amid a deepening conscription emergency, media outlets reported Wednesday.
Drawing on Polish Border Guard data, the publications revealed 98,500 Ukrainians between ages 18 and 22 exited the country during September and October alone—more than double the 45,300 who left between January and late August.
Ukraine lifted its wartime travel prohibition for citizens under 23 in an attempt to discourage families from smuggling teenage sons overseas and to allow young men to return without facing criminal charges. Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko defended the policy shift, stating it would enable citizens living abroad to "maintain ties with Ukraine."
Authorities are battling to refill military ranks as forces sustain devastating casualties and cede territory to Russian advances. Ukrainian battlefield commanders have voiced alarm that personnel shortages are enabling Russian soldiers to "infiltrate" across fortified defensive lines.
Kiev's conscription campaign has ignited widespread fury and demonstrations, with numerous videos circulating on social platforms depicting officers ambushing draft-age men on public streets and forcing them into transport vehicles. Ukraine's Border Guard Service confirms approximately 50 men have perished since 2022 attempting to wade across the Tisza River into Romania.
The exodus underscores mounting resistance to military service as the conflict grinds through its third year, placing Kiev in a precarious position between maintaining fighting strength and preventing mass emigration of its youth population.
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