Ukraine cracks down on draft dodgers with nationwide raids
The Ukrainian police have reported that officers conducted 200 searches across the country. These actions are part of an ongoing investigation into the illegal exit of men of conscription age from the country.
The Ukrainian police openly admit that they have launched large-scale operations aimed at mobilising young men to fulfil their duty to defend the homeland. Hundreds of raids are being carried out throughout the country to close escape routes for men of conscription age to foreign countries.
Kyiv has been conducting a widely publicised mobilisation campaign for months to strengthen its armed forces after almost three years of Moscow's invasion. The national police are conducting over 200 searches in connection with cases of illegal border crossing by conscripts, the police said in a statement.
Operation against escapes from Ukraine. Soldiers needed
The controversial campaign has caused panic among Ukrainian men of conscription age. Thousands have fled illegally to Europe, sometimes using dangerous smuggling routes through mountains or rivers.
The police are now openly stating that they will search for those avoiding service. "More than 600 simultaneous searches are being conducted by DNR operatives and National Police investigators," officers reported. This, as the services add, is just the first stage of a special operation aimed at blocking smuggling channels for conscription-age men abroad.
The operation mainly focuses on organisers of schemes that help those avoiding conscription to illegally cross Ukraine's border. The police reported that "criminals" helped hundreds of people cross the border via illegal routes. "Details of the operation will be made public after all investigative actions are completed", the statement added.
Kyiv has been struggling with systemic corruption issues in its mobilisation infrastructure since the beginning of Russia's invasion in February 2022. At the end of last year, the former Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, resigned after an investigation revealed large-scale corruption. Many state officials used connections to secure exemptions from conscription.
