Ukraine detained 50,000 men trying to flee since war began

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to media during a press briefing after his phone talks with the US president, in Kyiv, on May 19, 2025. [AFP]

Ukrainian border guards have prevented tens of thousands of military service-age men from illegally leaving the country since the start of Russia's invasion, a spokesman for the border guard told AFP Wednesday.

Under martial law, most Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 have been barred from leaving the country, unless they receive an official permission or qualify for an exemption.

But thousands have still attempted to flee to avoid being drafted in the Ukrainian army, which is struggling to recruit.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine said it detained "around 45,000 Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 since February 24, 2022", spokesman Andriy Demchenko told AFP.

"Another 4,000 citizens were detained at checkpoints for attempting to illegally cross the border using forged documents or by falsifying other grounds that would give them the right to cross the border," he added.

Kyiv has been trying to crack down on draft dodgers and encourage Ukrainians to return to their country to replenish the ranks of the army, which is struggling against Russian troops making gains in the east.

Around 4.1 million Ukrainians held temporary protection status in EU countries in 2024, about 22 percent of whom were adult men, according to the EU statistics office Eurostat.