Kyiv: According to Ukraine’s border service spokesperson, approximately 30 Ukrainian men have tragically lost their lives attempting to flee the country’s borders illegally, seeking to evade the conflict with Russia that erupted in 2022.
Andriy Demchenko, speaking to Ukrinform news agency, disclosed that many fatalities occurred during perilous attempts to cross mountainous terrain or rivers. He highlighted the grim reality that, since the onset of full-scale invasion, about 30 individuals have perished in desperate bids to evade conscription and combat.
Under Ukraine’s martial law, most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from exiting the country, as they may be subject to military mobilization. The State Border Guard Service confirmed that 24 men lost their lives while endeavoring to cross the Tisa river, which forms part of Ukraine’s border with Romania.
Demchenko further revealed that border guards have intercepted approximately 450 criminal groups attempting to smuggle people across borders since the conflict began. He emphasized that illicit border crossing attempts are an everyday occurrence, with a significant number occurring at points along the borders with Moldova and Romania, and the highest incidences of forged documents recorded at the Polish border.
Earlier disclosures in April indicated that an average of 10 men are intercepted daily while trying to flee Ukraine illegally. Last week, consular services for military-aged male citizens were suspended until May 18, with Ukrainian authorities criticizing expatriate Ukrainians for seeking assistance from the state while avoiding involvement in the battle against Russian aggression.
In a sobering report last November, the BBC highlighted nearly 20,000 men fleeing Ukraine since the conflict’s onset, seeking to evade military conscription. The data, based on illegal border crossings from neighboring countries including Romania, Moldova, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, underscores the scale of the human tragedy unfolding amid the conflict.
