Plight of fleeing Ukrainians: Dangerous Tisza River crossings revealed
The Tisza River flows between Ukraine and Romania. Those fleeing from war and mobilisation attempt to cross it. Ukrainians trying to escape mobilisation fall victim to a lucrative business. For a few thousand dollars, they receive tips on how to cross the river. Many of them, however, ultimately end up in the hands of border guards, who publish photos of the escapees for all of Ukraine to see.
The border guard claims that in the area around the Tisza River, nearly daily illegal border crossings are recorded. According to Romanian authorities, from the start of the massive Russian military invasion of Ukraine until April, over 6,000 people crossed the Tisza River.
Not everyone managed to survive. Since the beginning of the war, at least 22 people have died trying to cross the river to the Romanian side.
"Ukrainian Pravda" noted a few weeks ago that Ukrainians trying to escape mobilisation fall victim to a lucrative business. For a few thousand dollars, they receive tips on how to cross the river.
Lies are one of the mandatory elements of this agreement. It’s obvious, as the person who is supposed to help cross to the other side takes the money upfront and bears no responsibility for failure, the portal emphasised.
An example is the recent situation in Ukraine. In Zakarpattia, the border guard detained four men with a 14-year-old guide. The teenager was supposed to help the men cross the Tisza River.
The Western Regional Directorate of the State Border Guard Service reported this, according to the portal Censor.NET.
According to border guard officials, the men paid between £3,200 and £4,800 to cross the river, and the teenager was supposed to receive £800 in return.
The detainees are residents of Kyiv, Zakarpattia, Dnipro, and Lviv regions. The border guard is currently identifying those involved in organising this illegal crossing.
Ukraine. They can't leave the country
According to Ukraine's martial law regulations, men aged 18 to 60 are not allowed—with few exceptions—to leave the country, as they may be mobilised into the army.
At the end of last year, the BBC reported in a report based on data on illegal border crossings with Poland, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia that nearly 20,000 men fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war to avoid conscription.
