Exodus of young Ukrainians. After changing the regulations, nearly 100,000 left the country
The newspaper recalled that after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, martial law regulations prevented men between 18 and 60 years of age from leaving Ukraine, even if they were not eligible for conscription. However, in August the mobilization law was changed, allowing departures and lowering the lower age limit for conscription from 27 to 25.
By granting young Ukrainians greater freedom to leave, it was hoped that more of them would return and volunteer to fight at a later date. It was also hoped that this would deter families from sending their teenage children abroad before they turned 18 to avoid future conscription. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned in August that such practices lead to severing the ties of Ukrainian youth with their home country, the daily recalled.
The article continues below the video
How many young Ukrainians have left the country since the end of August?
What changes to mobilization regulations have been introduced in Ukraine?
How many Ukrainian men came to Poland before the regulations were changed?
What opinions did the far-right AfD express about refugees from Ukraine?
Currently, nearly 800,000 people serve in the Ukrainian army. soldiers. In the opinion of the American Center for Strategic and International Studies, since the beginning of the full-scale war, between 60,000 and 100,000 have died.
The number of arrivals more than doubled
According to the Polish Border Guard, from January to the end of August, just before the changes in regulations, approximately 45.3 thousand people entered Poland. Ukrainian men aged 18 to 22. Over the next two months, this number more than doubled to 98,000. and 1.6 thousand daily.
In Germany, the number of young Ukrainian citizens arriving increased from several dozen to 1,000. per week until mid-September and up to 1.4-1.8 thousand until mid-October – the newspaper emphasized, citing the German local press.
The pressure on the German Chancellor is growing
The influx of Ukrainian men to Germany is increasing pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to limit support for refugees from the war-torn country. The far-right AfD called on the authorities in Berlin to suspend aid to Ukrainians and also expressed opposition to further military support for Kiev.
Juergen Hardt, responsible for foreign policy in the CDU party, told Politico that the recent change in law in Ukraine “has led to an emigration trend that (Germany) must solve.”
Meanwhile, the United States announced on Wednesday that it would reduce the number of its troops in the countries of NATO's eastern flank. At the same time, the command of the US Army in Europe announced that this decision does not mean “America's withdrawal from Europe, nor is it a signal of weakening commitment to NATO and Article 5,” emphasized “The Telegraph.”
