The publication Express claims that some Ukrainians took advantage of forged documents and the services of smugglers.
More than half a million men of military age have left Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Some of them are officially prohibited from traveling abroad. This was said by the Austrian publication Express.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, approximately 6.3 million citizens have fled Ukraine since the war began. However, most of them are women and children.
Eurostat says that in the 27 member states of the EU, as well as in Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway, there are 650 thousand Ukrainian male refugees eligible for conscription according to age.
Specifically, according to the Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs, exactly 221,571 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 arrived in Germany alone since the beginning of the war on February 24, 2022. Of these, 189,484 men are still present also until now.
This data covers only those officially registered. The German Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that another 100 thousand people are not registered and are in the country illegally.
The situation is similar in Austria – at least 14 thousand Ukrainian men went there with fake documents or using the “services” of smugglers.
Some men paid up to $10,000 for a certificate proving their ineligibility for military service.
We add that BBC journalists reported that since the beginning of the war, almost 20,000 men have left Ukraine to avoid conscription. Fugitives cross the border illegally, mainly by swimming in rivers. Another 21,113 men who tried to flee were caught by Ukrainian border guards.
As we have already written, according to media reports, from February 2022 to August 31, 2023, 19,740 men from Ukraine illegally crossed the borders of Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.