Men flee Ukraine to avoid the military drafts. The numbers are out

"Ukrainian men are going to great lengths, including swimming across rivers and feigningillness, to avoid being drafted into military service amidst the conflict with Russia. BBC journalists have determined the number of men who have left the country to evade conscription. As one man argues, "we're not all fighters." Post-Russian invasion, it's important to remember that men between 18 and 60 were generally prohibited from leaving the country. After requesting information on illegal border crossings from Ukraine into neighboring Romania, Moldova, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, the BBC has ascertained that between February 2022 and August 31, 2023, 19,740 men were smuggled out into these countries." essanews