Authorities in Ukraine announced on Friday that they were undertaking numerous raids across the nation to dismantle routes used by military-aged individuals attempting to escape the country to evade conscription.
For months, Kyiv has been implementing an extensive mobilisation effort to strengthen its military, which is struggling to defend against Russia’s considerably larger army that is making advances in the country’s eastern region, nearly three years after the start of Moscow’s invasion.
This controversial mobilisation effort has triggered panic among eligible men in Ukraine and has led thousands to flee the country unlawfully towards Europe, often employing perilous smuggling paths through mountains or rivers.
The police reported that “over 600 simultaneous searches are being carried out by operatives from the SBU (Security Services of Ukraine) and National Police investigators.”
“This represents only the initial phase of a special operation aimed at obstructing the methods of trafficking men of military age abroad,” the statement said.
The operation is mainly focused on targeting those responsible for orchestrating schemes that assist draft dodgers in illegally crossing the Ukrainian border.
Authorities indicated that “criminals” had facilitated the illegal border crossings of hundreds of individuals through unauthorised routes and that the operation was taking place throughout the entire country. Since the onset of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Kyiv has dealt with systemic corruption within its military mobilisation system.
Last year, former Ukrainian prosecutor general Andriy Kostin stepped down following an investigation that uncovered a significant corruption scheme allegedly granting military draft exemptions to government officials.
This event came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky decided to dismiss the heads of regional draft offices.
