As Ukrainians flee country to escape military duty, police launch nationwide raids to nab draft evaders

The Ukrainian police have launched large-scale operations to mobilise young men to serve in the military in the ongoing war with Russia. Hundreds of raids are being conducted nationwide to block escape routes for men of conscription age attempting to flee to foreign countries, a senior police official said.

Ukraine has been pushing a sweeping and divisive mobilisation campaign to boost its military, which is struggling to hold back Russia’s significantly larger army that is advancing across several sectors across the front.

“The national police force is conducting more than 200 searches regarding cases of illegal border crossings” of Ukrainian men who are eligible for army service, the national police said in a statement.

The raids announced on Friday are part of a broader nationwide investigation launched last week, during which Kyiv reported searches at approximately 600 homes, offices and other locations.

Ukraine’s contentious mobilisation campaign to bolster its military has triggered panic among men of conscription age with thousands fleeing to Europe, often relying on dangerous smuggling routes through mountains or rivers.

Police said that last week’s operation primarily targeted organisers of schemes aiding draft evaders in illegally crossing Ukraine’s borders. On Friday, law enforcement said searches were underway in 19 regions and shared images of officers armed with weapons and cameras entering what appeared to be private residences and offices.

Kyiv has been battling problems with systemic corruption within its military mobilisation infrastructure since the beginning of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Late last year, Ukrainian former prosecutor general Andriy Kostin resigned after a probe uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme that apparently provided military draft exemptions for government officials.

With inputs from agencies.