Nearly 50,000 men of draft age were detained while attempting to illegally cross the border into Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities have detained some 49,000 men of draft age who have tried to leave the country illegally since the start of the war in February 2022, Andriy Demchenko, a spokesman for the State Border Service, said on May 21.

According to Demchenko, the number of such cases "increased significantly" after Ukraine imposed martial law, which prohibits men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country, except in a few specific cases.

"Most of these people try to cross the border through the so-called green border, that is, outside the official border crossings," Demchenko said during a press conference.

The so-called "green borders" are forests, fields or rivers, especially on the borders with Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. Some use smuggling networks that offer to cross for fees ranging from a few hundred to thousands of dollars.

Border guards also detained some 8,500 people who tried to cross the border with fake documents, Demchenko added. A report from BBC Ukraine said the documents in question were fake, such as certificates of medical incapacity or family exemption documents.

On 8 May, the Ukrainian parliament adopted a law allowing some prisoners to join the army in exchange for conditional release. The move is intended to strengthen the Ukrainian armed forces, which are facing a manpower shortage as Russia continues its war.

The mobilisation law, which came into force on 18 May, introduced harsher penalties for draft evaders, including higher fines and the possibility of detention. According to Ukrinform, the law introduces an obligation to update military registration data and increases fines for draft evasion to 25,500 hryvnia (approximately US$600).

Draft evasion is a sensitive issue in Ukraine. According to a Rating Group survey (May 2025), up to 40 % Ukrainians fear forced mobilisation, reflecting the tension between the need to strengthen the army and citizens' personal fears of being deployed in combat.

According to The Guardian, some neighbouring countries, such as Poland and Romania, have stepped up their border controls to cope with the influx of Ukrainian refugees, including those trying to avoid conscription. This includes exchanging information with Ukrainian authorities about detainees.

Kyivindependent/gnews.cz - cik