The Ukrainian border troops are not only dealing with enemies coming from outside. Their eyes are focused on their own country. From there, compatriots try to escape military service. Quite a few, as research by the BBC has now shown.
According to this data, 20,000 Ukrainians have already fled, while another 21,000 tried but were captured. Many marched across borders in the south. Romania and Moldova seem particularly popular among refugees. They go out themselves or pay smugglers. BBC reporters traveled with border troops to Ukraine and Moldova. Vladislav, a 22-year-old border guard, says there are constant attempts to enter Romania.
Under Ukrainian martial law, men under the age of 60 are not allowed to leave the country unless they are exempt from military service. Anyone caught could face a prison sentence of up to eight years. The soldier interviewed says that in his area alone, four thousand men have been stopped from crossing into Romania since the start of the war. But in other places the numbers are even higher.
19 dead people have already been recovered from the border river
A Moldovan border guard who has just arrested two Ukrainians said in the BBC report: “On average, twenty Ukrainians come every day.” And these are just the ones that can be tracked along the 1,200 kilometer border. About 11,000 people have already fled to Moldova. This is not without danger: a border official tells British journalists that when it rains, the border river Tisar can swell, sometimes within an hour. Many who were caught before the crossing reportedly thanked the officers later. A total of 19 dead have already been found.
Those who flee do not only do so out of fear of being deployed to the front. Yevgeny, 37, tells reporters that his family is already in England and that he is also on his way. He can barely survive in Ukraine, prices are high and there is hardly any work.
Smugglers advertise on Telegram
Many make their way to the border at night, but can be tracked with night vision goggles and thermal cameras. In order to have a safe route, they looked for forest areas. In Telegram groups, people interested in flights exchanged experiences and gave tips. But it’s not free: they paid up to $3,000, witnesses told the BBC.
If you don’t want to make the arduous journey to one of the borders, you can avoid military conscription in another way: with money. According to BBC research, bribes are intended to help people obtain a document that exempts them from military service. Corruption is still widespread in Ukraine and is one of the issues that has been repeatedly raised in EU accession talks.
In any case, the Ukrainian government seems to want to clear out the military posts. Authorities are investigating 260 criminal cases over alleged “violations” at military recruiting offices, the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) announced in late October. President Volodymyr Zelensky fired the heads of regional recruitment centers in August after allegations of criminal abuse and corruption.
According to the SBI, 21 charges against 35 people have been forwarded to the court and another 58 people have been identified as suspects. It also said it had documented suspected bribes worth about $110,000 and that the courts had seized property worth about $88,000. A total of 7,000 men are said to have been arrested for forged documents.
In a statement to the RBC-Ukraine news portal, State Border Service spokesman Andriy Demchenko said he could not assess the accuracy of the BBC investigation as he did not have access to statistics collected by these neighboring countries. He noted that Ukraine implemented extensive measures to prevent illegal border crossings, but acknowledged that the number of attempts had increased significantly during the period of martial law.
According to the border service, almost 300 criminal groups and individuals specializing in illegally transporting people across the border have been discovered during this period.
Men can choose positions
Those who do not want to leave the country and do not receive an exemption have another option: those who are fit for war can, to a certain extent, choose which service they take up. Through the ‘Lobby According to a report from Politico magazine, the Ukrainian government mainly wants to encourage volunteers to apply. But that doesn’t seem easy either: Oleksandr Antonov, a member of the 112th Brigade’s medical unit, reported that he had received confirmation, but that the recruiters initially wanted to deploy him to another location.
According to the Politico report, the trend of applying directly for a job or regiment was also accelerated by the discovery of corruption scandals in official recruitment centers. But not all officers are enthusiastic about the offer, which Defense Minister Rustem Umerov only a week ago extended until 2028.
However, experienced Ukrainian soldiers believe that allowing such freedom of choice in a war of such magnitude is a luxury. “Commanders know better which professions they need and where they should deploy their people in order to deploy them optimally. They are the only ones who see the bigger picture,” said Borys Donchanin, a Ukrainian soldier with the 67th Mechanized Brigade.
“The uncertainty about what awaits someone during a mobilization is a major obstacle. When it comes to military service, most people do not want to play the lottery, but prefer to make their own decisions,” says Olha Bandrivska of Lobby X. Whether this will also reduce the number of people leaving the country in the future remains to be seen to be seen. being seen.
Used sources:
Soource :Watson
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
