Fugitive Ukrainians:

“The authorities are capturing men for the war”

Soldiers in the Ukraine (archive photo)

(Bild: AP)

After almost three years of war, Ukraine has fewer and fewer men who can be sent to the front. Some have already died, others are fleeing forced recruitment. According to reports, hardly anyone is joining the army voluntarily. The authorities are now being accused of using violence.

As n-tv reported online on Wednesday, employees of recruitment offices are visiting public places such as nightclubs or concerts and systematically arresting men of conscription age. Some are then taken directly to military training camps, according to the report. According to the report, Ukrainians in larger cities are already exchanging information in chats about whether and where the authorities are currently on the move.

"They capture people and send them to war. This is slavery," Sergey Jgorolskiy told n-tv. The 32-year-old is currently in Germany, where he is training to become a mechatronics engineer. He was a student and actor in Ukraine until summer 2023. His journey to Germany was illegal - the border guards check that men between the ages of 18 and 60, i.e. of military age, do not leave the country.

Ukrainian soldiers in action

(Bild: APA/AFP/Genya SAVILOV)

Advertising for recruitment in Russia

(Bild: AFP)

Escape through forests and mountains
To avoid having to go to war, Jgorolskiy fled through a river near the border with Moldova and through forests. He finally entered Germany via Romania. Since the beginning of the war, 11,000 Ukrainians have illegally crossed the border into Romania, according to the local police.

The neighboring country can also be reached via the Carpathian Mountains. Last summer, 23-year-old architect Bodgan Khorolski traveled through this mountain range on foot. He did not choose any hiking routes, nor did he tell his family about his plans. Otherwise they would probably have tried to stop him because the escape was too dangerous, said Khorolski. Romania's authorities had been helpful and he had traveled on from there to Belgium.

Corrupt border officials
Thousands of Ukrainian men are fleeing forced recruitment in their country. The people "just feel empty", said Khorolski. In his opinion, the system is corrupt and should not be defended. The Ukrainian is referring to border officials, for example. Anyone who pays them 10,000 to 15,000 dollars can leave the country without being checked. The government and the oligarchs have everything, "the people have nothing", confirmed Jgorolskiy. Sons of influential men could buy their way out of serving in the army.

The Ukrainian government is already trying to recruit men abroad specifically for the war. Ukrainian embassies and consulates have been instructed to stop issuing new passports. The two interviewees had obtained new passports before they fled. Until March 2025, Ukrainians will still be allowed to stay in the EU for humanitarian reasons.

We have already caught more than 30,000 migrants who were granted citizenship and did not want to register for military service.

 Alexander Bastrykin, Chef des russischen Ermittlungskomitees

Russian migrants on the front line
Russia, an opponent of the war, is also accused of forced recruitment. "We have already caught more than 30,000 migrants who received citizenship and did not want to register for military service, and have sent around 10,000 of them to the special military operation zone," said the head of the Russian Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin. There is talk of raids on companies with guest workers. Volunteers are to be lured with high immediate bonuses and a comparatively high monthly salary, among other things.