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How men try to get around the ban to leave Ukraine

Most Ukrainian men have been banned from leaving the country. Increasingly, however, men who want out are finding ways, often at a price.

Anton (name has been changed) was a businessman in Ukraine. On February 24, he drove to the border with his wife and their two children to escape the Russian invasion . The trip, which usually takes only a few hours, took them almost the entire day.

But while they were still en route, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy  banned men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country.

That meant Anton's wife and children were allowed to leave for the EU, while he stayed behind — and immediately began to look for ways to reunite with them. "Duty to the family had priority," Anton said. He drove to a village on the border with Romania, aiming to cross the Tisza River. "We were several men. But locals betrayed us and we were caught. We didn't even make it to the river," Anton told DW, adding that he later heard that smugglers usually take four people to the river for $5,000 (€4,930) each and show them where to cross. Anton was drafted into the army on the spot, but there was no suitable assignment for him so he returned home and made new plans to leave.

Tips found on social networks 

The ban on leaving the country does not apply to single fathers, men who have three or more children, and people with disabilities. Students of foreign universities, drivers of humanitarian aid transports, as well as persons with permanent residence abroad are also exempt from the ban.

Some men who fall into neither of those categories but want to leave Ukraine choose the route via Crimea, which was annexed by Russia. Others enroll in a foreign university, find a job as a volunteer emergency aid driver or try to cross the so-called green border on foot.

Social networks offer various tips. The Instagram account "Departure for Everyone" has more than 14,000 followers. Private chats share information on how to retroactively enroll in a Polish or other European university — showing a date before the start of the war — within ten days for €980.

'Men like me are called traitors'

Anton managed to leave Ukraine with the help of a charity foundation run by friends. "The foundation applied for an exit permit. We all drove, and the cars returned to Ukraine with humanitarian aid, but I stayed in the EU. Men like me are called traitors," he said. "I'm not afraid of the front, and if I didn't have children I would have been there long ago. But we didn't have children so that my wife would have to survive somehow alone with them," he added.

There seems to be quite some interest in leaving the country. "Legal Move Abroad," a Telegram channel, has more than 53,000 followers and its backup channel, "Help at the Border," has more than 28,000. For $1,500, the latter offers a certificate exempting a person from military service for health reasons. Another offer involves leaving the country ostensibly as the driver of a humanitarian aid truck. Allegedly, this allows ten men a day to get out of the country, at a price of $2,000.

Telegram also posts reviews by people who allegedly used those services: "I went as a helper, everything went faster and easier than I thought"; "Thank you for helping my son, he is now in Italy"; "I have arrived in Bulgaria, I am grateful." DW wrote to several of these users, but only one responded, saying he did not want to "risk anything or tell anything."

Most Ukrainian refugees in Poland, Germany

More than nine million Ukrainians have  fled abroad since February 24, according to the UN. DW asked Ukraine's border control service how many men are included in that figure but has not yet received an answer. The Ukrainian Interior Ministry reported on March 1, that some 80,000 military age males had returned to the country, most of them after February 24, "to defend sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Poland and Germany have taken in the most refugees. Poland counted 3.6 million, including 432,000 men aged 18 to 60, between February 24 and June 7. In Germany, 867,214 refugees were registered from the end of February to June 19. According to a March survey commissioned by the Federal Interior Ministry, 48% of the arrivals were women with children, 14% were single women, 7% were men with children and 3% were men who arrived alone.

A petition and many bribes

In May, Odesa lawyer Alexander Gumirov launched a petition demanding Kyiv lift the ban on men traveling abroad, and calling instead for the recruitment of volunteers. In just a few days, the petition gathered 25,000 signatures, which meant the president had to review it. Volodymyr Zelenskyy's response: the petition should be addressed to the parents of soldiers who died defending Ukraine.

Gumirow still considers the ban pointless. "If a person wants to defend his free, beloved native country, his home and his family, there is no need for a ban on leaving," he said, adding that a ban is unnecessary, too, if people don't want to defend their home.

Many men in Ukraine currently cannot find work, cannot feed their families nor do they pay taxes, according to Gumirov. In addition, he says, the ban leads to corruption. He says he receives daily inquiries about possible loopholes to get around the ban, adding that every one comes accompanied by a bribe offer.

Dmytro Busanov, a lawyer from Kyiv, said that according to the constitution, restricting the right to leave Ukraine can only be regulated by law, which has not been done so far. He considers the current ban illegal. "I get a lot of complaints, but people don't want to sue in court," Busanov said. He said he believes it would be possible to take the issue to the European Court of Human Rights.

Too few volunteers

Ukrainian men who travel abroad are often condemned by the wives of men who are fighting, said a Ukrainian lawyer who wishes to remain anonymous. Her husband volunteered to be on the front lines. She said she supports Gumirov's petition in principle but that it was worded incorrectly — it implies people can all just leave and "let volunteers fight. That is unfair." There are too few volunteers, said the lawyer, who is currently in the EU with her children. Her husband wanted to take up the fight, but he also wants to see his children, she said. She suggests granting soldiers short leaves and allowing them to travel abroad.

Anton, has since settled in an EU country with his wife and children. He is learning the language and looking for a job. He does not rule out returning home should Ukraine win the war. "In peacetime, I've always said that Ukraine is one of the best places to be." He is a patriot, he says, adding he wants the war to end as soon as possible. "I send money to the army," Anton says. "We are far away, but that doesn't mean I'm a traitor."

This article was originally written in Russian.

Related topics

Why banning men from leaving Ukraine violates their human rights

Associate Professor in Human Rights and International Law, University of Newcastle

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Amy Maguire does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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As Ukraine scrambles to defend itself from Russia’s illegal invasion, men aged 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving the country.

The declaration of martial law in Ukraine gives the government power to enact this ban, but it is not in keeping with human rights or humanitarian norms.

So, what is actually happening in Ukraine and what does the law say?

What the Ukrainian government says

When Russia invaded last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainian civilians to defend their country.

As the Ukrainian interior ministry also posted on Telegram:

Today is the moment when every Ukrainian who can protect his home must take up arms. Not just to help our soldiers, but to cleanse Ukraine of the enemy once and for all.

But if you are a man between 18 and 60, this call to arms may seem more like a compulsory requirement. As Ukraine’s border guard service explains , the ban on adult men leaving is aimed at guaranteeing “Ukraine’s defence and the organisation of timely mobilisation’”.

What does self-defence look like?

Given the illegality of Russia’s invasion, Ukraine is entitled to defend itself under the United Nations Charter . Of course, a country will rely on all available military resources to exercise this right of self-defence.

Ukraine already has a sizeable army , with 200,000 active personnel and 300,000 reservists, as well as paramilitary forces who are now being mobilised under the general mobilisation decree.

But Ukraine’s military resources pale in comparison to Russia’s modern, professional army built up through massive investment over the past decade. It has about 900,000 active personnel and about two million reservists.

Given the obvious imbalance , it is not surprising Ukraine is now desperate to mobilise every eligible individual. But there is an important distinction between people who are conscripted into military service and people who are banned from leaving, but not then formally mobilised or equipped to fight.

Conscientious objection

With their country facing armed attack by a major military power with the aim of overthrowing their government , some Ukrainians have felt compelled to stay and potentially fight.

Read more: How the Russian military remade itself into a modern, efficient and deadly fighting machine

Some have enlisted in the wake of Russia’s invasion. These brand new soldiers have been called both conscripts and volunteers .

Others have felt compelled to leave. The very nature of the conflict puts civilians at risk - it is playing out in densely populated cities, through shelling and aerial bombardment . Already more than one million people have fled.

However, for men aged 18 to 60, the ban on leaving Ukraine means they have no choice to flee the attack and the risks they face as civilians in the theatre of war.

A New York Times podcast tells the story of an animator named Tyhran, who unsuccessfully tried to cross the border into Poland.

I can’t imagine myself doing military stuff […] I have no experience in it. I’m afraid of holding a gun […] I cannot imagine myself holding a gun.

Tyhran says he was shamed at the border by guards and others seeking to cross, but may try again to cross illegally.

They are bombing and people are dying. Everyone is running […] They are not going to stop. They just want to destroy.

Meanwhile, there are reports LGBTQI+ Ukrainians are terrified of being targeted, given Russia’s program of discrimination against gay and transgender people in Russia.

What international law says

The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights guarantees freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief. Although it does not specifically guarantee a right to conscientious objection to military service, the UN Human Rights Committee has confirmed this right derives from the protection under the convention.

This means that if a person’s conscience, religion or beliefs conflict with an obligation to use lethal force against other people, their right to conscientious objection to military service must be protected.

Some human rights can be suspended or limited during a public emergency. But the right to freedom of conscience is specifically excluded from this category.

What should Ukraine do?

The government of Ukraine should cancel its ban on men leaving the country. To maintain it will violate the freedom of conscience of any man who wishes to flee due to a conscientious objection to killing others.

In relation to LGBTQI+ people, the ban could also be regarded as preventing people with a well founded fear of persecution from fleeing to seek refuge outside Ukraine.

Read more: Civilians are being killed in Ukraine. So, why is investigating war crimes so difficult?

More broadly, repealing the departure ban would protect Ukraine from allegations it is failing to protect civilians , as required by international humanitarian law. It is one thing to conscript men into military service, providing training and appropriate equipment (although, even in that case, a right to conscientious objection must be respected).

It is another thing entirely to prevent civilians from escaping a war zone.

The international context

Ukraine must also consider how its actions reflect on parallel efforts to hold Russia accountable for its illegal aggression and potential violations of human rights.

For example, Ukraine has requested the International Court of Justice to intervene with the international law equivalent of an injunction against Russia. Ukraine alleges Russia is using false accusations of genocide to justify an illegal invasion that is, in turn, inflicting human rights violations on the people of Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor has initiated an investigation of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The prosecutor has identified a reasonable basis to believe that alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity are underway in Ukraine.

In this context, Ukraine must remain mindful of the legality of its own practice. The ban on men leaving Ukraine ought to be lifted, because it is legally and ethically wrong to force civilians to stay in harm’s way when they have the opportunity and desire to escape.

• Human rights
• Conscription
• Conscientious Objection
• International human rights law
• Ukraine invasion 2022

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Civilian Men Are Trapped in Ukraine

Human rights and humanitarian ngos should pay attention to kyiv’s sex-selective martial law..

• Human Rights

Russia’s War in Ukraine

Understanding the conflict two years on .

More on this topic

On July 5, Ukrainian army generals issued a proclamation dramatically expanding the martial law prohibiting Ukrainian civilian men’s freedom of movement, calling on all those “liable for military service” to remain in their home districts. With the Twitter hashtag #UkraineLetMenOut , citizens had already been complaining bitterly about men being unable to leave the country with their families since Russia’s invasion. After the new proclamation came down, one Ukrainian tweeted , “Now we can’t even leave our cities without permission from military recruitment centers.” Another tweeted , “Animals have more rights in Ukraine than men.”

A woman kisses her husband as she is about to leave on a bus a day after a rocket attack at a train station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on April 9. FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

As a conflict researcher who recently spent time assisting with the humanitarian effort and reporting from the Poland-Ukraine border, I’ve been hearing from young civilian men in Ukraine for months, with some reaching out to me via anonymous Twitter accounts. Even before this proclamation, they felt terrified and desperate. One young man hiding out in Lviv, Ukraine—whom I’ll call Andrij—asked me to share his story but was afraid to use his real name. Andrij was separated from his mother, sister, and fiancee when they fled to London and he was forced to stay behind.

“My fiancée and sick mother need me abroad so that I can work and help them. Now I can’t even help myself, I am left alone with strangers [and] without a home and cannot leave the country,” he said. “My friends and I have no experience and we do not want to hold weapons and cannot physically fight. I live in fear they will send me to war without proper training. My friends were trained for five days and sent to Donetsk. I’m worried about the men in this country, many others are worse off than me.”

Voices like Andrij’s reflect a gender dimension of the Ukraine war seldom covered by the Western media: civilian men separated from their families at the border, vulnerable to conscription but not actually being trained for war, and sitting jobless, helpless, hopeless, and without their loved ones.

It’s all because of a sex-selective martial law the Ukrainian government passed at the onset of the war. Men between the ages of 18 and 60 are not permitted to leave the country except under very specific exemptions. Even male residents of other countries, such as international students home on winter break when the war started, have been trapped behind the front lines. “I came home for a few days and became a hostage of Russian aggression,” one wrote to me in a direct message on Twitter. Many others describe being unable to work, with savings and food running out. Some fear death by bombardment or massacre if they stay in eastern cities.

While some men wish not to join the army, many say what they find most frustrating is that they are not even being conscripted and trained to fight—just held in the country unable to either work to support their families, find employment abroad, or more meaningfully support the war. Another wrote to me on Twitter, “All men in Ukraine now are prisoners … Even more, [a] lot of them have lost their jobs because [of] war, and [the] government doesn’t allow them to go for a job abroad, and can’t give a job inside the country.”

A new random survey of over 3,100 adult Ukrainian internet users conducted by the Human Security Lab shows wide support for changing the law: fewer than half of Ukrainians believe men aged 18-60 should be forced to stay in the country. One respondent explained their answer by saying: “What the point of an unemployed man sitting at home? And who did not hold a machine gun in his hands? I am in favor of releasing men, personally I will be more useful abroad, than just sitting on the couch.” Another wrote, “If men can leave, work in another country, and pay money to the country, we are more likely to win this war.”

But others say it is an issue of the fundamental human rights of freedom of movement and gender equality among civilians. One respondent on the Human Security Lab survey wrote, “We live in a modern world … men and women must have equal rights, the right to choose.” Another wrote, “This law needs to be changed, because not only women can take care of children, and not only men can join the army.”

A father cries as he says goodbye to his family in front of an evacuation train at the central train station in Odesa, Ukraine, on March 7. BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Countries have a right to conscript their citizens in time of war, but until incorporated into the military, these men remain war-affected civilians, entitled to the same protection and support as other civilians in war. Yet civilian protection organizations have paid scant attention to the issue of civilian men’s freedom of movement, focusing (as my research shows humanitarian nongovernmental organizations often do ) on women and children as war victims. This has left civilian men feeling acute psychological distress: as Andrij wrote to me, “It seems to me that the whole world does not care about men, I feel like a piece of meat that they want to send to death.”

Preventing civilian men from fleeing with their families complicates the protection of women and children as well, however. When women and children flee alone, being separated from their male relatives makes them vulnerable to trafficking and heightens their economic and psycho-social stress .

Families make agonizing choices in such situations. In late March, a young woman named Valentina, whose family name and that of her husband’s I’ve chosen not to use out of concern for their safety, arrived at the Ukraine border nine months pregnant, on foot, and alone with just one pink suitcase. She was one of several refugees who joined my group’s van while I was in the region, shuttling those in flight from the border to the train station in Warsaw, Poland. Valentina had left not only her husband behind, but also her 4-year-old son, whom she left in her husband’s care because, “I didn’t think I could travel nine months pregnant and take care of my child as well, without my husband with me.” Valentina made her way to Amsterdam “to give birth in a safe place,” while her husband and son hid in the western Ukrainian mountains to avoid the risk of shelling or conscription.

When men are forced to stay, families often stay, too. One father left a comment on a petition to the Ukrainian government saying that he wanted the law to change “because I have a wife on the 7th month of pregnancy who incapable of tolerating the things that going on here in Ukraine and she can’t leave Ukraine alone.” Staying means risking death by deprivation or bombardment, like the victims of the recent Russian missile strike on a crowded shopping mall in the Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk. Valentina and I have remained in touch, and she shared with me via Facebook messenger that a friend of hers and their toddler who had decided not to flee were inside the Kremenchuk shopping mall when it was set ablaze by a Russian missile. They made it out safely but were traumatized by the attack.

But civilian men are vulnerable in conflict zones in their own right, not just in their relationships to women and children. As the political scientist Adam Jones has documented , civilian men are often the first to be executed by the enemy on the belief that they are really fighters—as my own research on Srebrenica and the recent massacre at Bucha confirmed. It is one thing to conscript, train, equip, and deploy men and women as soldiers; it is another to hold them as unarmed civilians in a shooting war on the basis of gender. The recent proclamation further limiting men’s movement to their hometowns would have dramatically exacerbated this danger. Andrij was able to flee west to Lviv, at least; young men in more easterly locations would have been prohibited from doing even that.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky swiftly rolled back the July 5 proclamation, but the international travel ban remains in place and is perceived by many citizens as violating the human right to freedom of movement and rules against gender discrimination. Human rights groups have also pointed out that gay, bisexual, and transgender men are at particular risk in a war zone and face particular risks if conscripted. Some organizations are working to help individuals flee, with an emphasis on vulnerable groups, paying particular attention to LGBTQ Ukrainians.

But when it comes to the martial law, gay men I spoke with say unequivocally that the discrimination they face is not because they are gay, but simply because they are men. One gay man, who requested anonymity, told me he had attempted to leave the country with his husband. “When we got to the border it was a female guard who turned us back,” he said. “It’s not because I’m gay, it’s because I have a penis,” he added. His husband, an American attorney, was permitted to leave but chose to stay in harm’s way with his husband. Transgender women misidentified as men get similar treatment .

Those who manage to get smuggled out or evacuated by human rights organizations face legal repercussions if they return. Many others either cannot afford to be smuggled out, are not lucky enough to have their number come up on an NGO’s evacuation list, or simply prefer to stay and fight for change rather than break the law. Andrij told me he preferred to stay and work toward changing things so that other men, too, would be able to escape. The refugee mother I transported, Valentina, told me she would not consider sneaking her husband, Artem, out of the country for a practical reason: “We would never be able to return—Artem would be imprisoned.”

For families like theirs, the focus has been on finding a legal way around the martial law through its many exemptions and loopholes : disability, education, occupation. But many of these rules seem arbitrary: Fathers with three or more children can get out, but fathers with only two children must stay behind. The border patrol is strict and selective in how it enforces the law : Bureaucratic categories like “disabled” are open to interpretation.

And everything requires documentation—hard to come by for families who may have had to flee their homes on short notice. Medical exemptions, for example, require paperwork from doctors, but doctors in the country are currently preoccupied with patching up trauma victims. In this context, a small cottage industry has arisen in providing fake documentation, which has only raised suspicion and complicated matters for families searching for genuine ways through the existing rules. Even if they can acquire genuine documents, men are still often turned back at the border.

Families like Valentina’s try not to lose hope. At one point, texting me from Amsterdam, Valentina shared resignedly that she and her husband had decided to divorce. “This will allow Artem to take care of his eldest son and go abroad. It is not a simple solution, but an effective and legal one,” she texted. “Now we are looking for a person who specializes in divorce to do it as soon as possible.” But divorce proceedings in a war zone also require extensive documentation, international proceedings are doubly complicated, and legal aid is scant. Even in peacetime, divorce takes time, and time is not on civilians’ side in war.

Activists inside Ukraine argue that civilian men’s right to flee shouldn’t be contingent on whether they have children or women to protect at all. Over the past few months, a movement has formed to challenge this law on human rights grounds. Several petition drives have been formed, one of which collected nearly 60,000 signatures urging Zelensky to “to allow men aged 18-60 without military experience to leave Ukraine.” The United Nations has encouraged Ukraine to take a more “humane approach.”

Human rights organizations focused on civilian protection in the Ukraine war are aware of the issue, but few have addressed it head-on. A representative of one NGO told me their organization had raised concerns about LGBTQI Ukrainians and forced conscription in its advocacy messages, but it had been unsure exactly what to ask of the Ukrainian government.

Admittedly, it is politically difficult for NGOs to criticize a country on human rights grounds whose government is fighting for its people’s very right to life, especially while other countries stand by on the sidelines. But there is another reason that this issue has been tough for human rights organizations to tackle: Discrimination against civilian men attempting to flee with their families in some ways falls through the cracks of existing international law given how different treaty obligations are compartmentalized.

For example, sex discrimination against civilians in a time of war is prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention , which also allows civilians the right to flee a war zone. Importantly, however, the Geneva Conventions traditionally bind governments in how they may treat the enemy. This is why, when Russia occupied Crimea and began conscripting Ukrainians to fight in the Russian army, Human Rights Watch called it out for breaking international law.

But the civilian men of Ukraine are facing a law set down by their own country. A group such as Human Rights Watch, for example, cannot as easily invoke the gender provisions of the Geneva Conventions to address Ukrainian rights violations against its own civilians.

There are also rules protecting the right to flee in the Refugee Convention . That convention explicitly states that “the rights granted to a refugee are extended to members of his family”—suggesting male family members of female refugees should be protected as well. But again, the Refugee Convention binds refugee-receiving countries, not the country the refugees are fleeing. If Poland, for example, were forcibly turning back men who get across the border, they might be in violation of those rules. But the refugee convention rules do not require the Ukrainian border patrol to let them across in the first place.

It is a completely different set of treaties—human rights treaties—that addresses how governments should treat their own citizens, and it is here that activists and NGOs could look to encourage a change in the law. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights , for example, protects freedom of movement and freedom of thought and conscience, and prohibits gender discrimination.

Even here, however, professional human rights and humanitarian NGOs have been looking at the problem through a lens that makes it hard rather than easy to address: whether military conscription itself violates human rights. Forced labor is prohibited under the covenant, but there is an exception for military conscription.

Marc Garlasco, a military adviser for the Dutch peace organization PAX and frequent consultant to the wider humanitarian NGO community, told me this was the reason for NGOs’ reluctance to address the issue. “I think it’s a hairy issue that touches on international human rights law, and we should consider it,” he said. But, he added, among the wider humanitarian NGO community, “there is a concern that conscription is legal and there isn’t much NGOs can or should do, that yeah, it sucks, but nothing can stop a state from doing that.”

A father says goodbye to his daughter before she boards a bus to the Ukrainian-Polish border, at the main train terminal in Lviv, Ukraine, on March 14. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

For Ukrainian men, however, the issue at hand is not purely about conscription. Under human rights law, even if one acknowledges a general right of states to mobilize their population in time of war, there are at least three other important human rights rules that have a bearing on the situation of Ukraine’s as-yet-unmobilized civilian men.

The first is the right to conscientious objection . Although not spelled out explicitly in the treaty, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights argues it does inhere in human rights law . Rights NGOs could press Ukraine to ensure that men who have a moral objection to killing have opportunities to serve in other ways, including from abroad. But this right would only apply to those whose choice not to serve was grounded in documentable religious or moral beliefs.

A more basic and far-reaching human rights norm Ukrainian activists invoke is simple gender equality . Since the codification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 1966, human rights law has changed markedly to incorporate norms against gender discrimination in all areas of the law. Nearly every human rights treaty includes such language.

Robert Ensor, secretary of the Dutch NGO Transgender Network Netherlands, argues the problem is not the conscription loophole itself but the fact that some countries target only men for this and other forms of legally compulsory labor. “Needless to say, in the context of the Ukraine War, in which male conscripts [from Russia and Ukraine] have been pitted against each other and the civilian population, this is a matter, in my view, of considerable importance,” he wrote in an email.

According to Ensor, NATO expansion could bring the need for a stronger international norm on this issue to a head, with countries like Finland and Ukraine (both of which have a male-only conscription laws) seeking to enter NATO and/or the European Union, requiring women of countries like the Netherlands and Norway (both of which have gender-egalitarian conscription) to potentially defend them.

In this light, human rights NGOs might have another angle on which to influence the Ukrainian government on the issue, particularly given Ukraine’s strong history of inclusion of women in the armed forces. Arguably, Ukraine has every incentive to adopt a more gender-egalitarian and human rights-based policy, in order to align with the more progressive EU and NATO states as part of its bid for membership in NATO and EU candidacy.

Ukrainian citizens also say that ending male-only conscription is part of how Ukraine should distinguish itself from Russia. One commenter on a recent petition wrote :

“Not only is it immense [cruelty] … but it’s gender-based. … I want Ukraine to win … [but] I wouldn’t fight for such country. I would fight for values such as freedom, freedom which has been taken away from Ukrainian men – fathers, students, young boys who have their whole life ahead of them – just like their female friends, who for some reason have a right to live. I want the same right for men. Ukraine does have plenty of volunteers – and only volunteers should fight. … Ukraine please show, that you are not like Russia.”

Instead, Zelensky responded to the petition in June by invoking the Ukraine constitution’s provisions on martial law. There are now rumors that the travel ban and conscription policy might be extended to women as well in October . That might resolve the gender equality issue, but it would also mean male and female civilians facing equal-opportunity violations of another fundamental human right: the right to freedom of movement .

Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights states: “Everyone shall be free to leave any country, including his own.” Similar rules protect movement within a country. The treaty does permit exceptions to this rule in times of national security crises, and the Ukrainian government appropriately filed a “derogation” from these rules with the U.N. secretary-general before initiating the travel ban.

However, the caveat in Article 4 of the treaty is that such derogations must occur only “to the extent strictly required, provided that such measures are not inconsistent with other obligations under international law.” The customary law rules prohibiting family separation in times of armed conflict come to mind. And once again, the treaty explicitly states (in Article 4) that any national security exceptions cannot involve discrimination solely on the grounds of sex.

As many activists note, it is hard to argue that restricting the freedom of movement of all adult men, or even all men and women, is strictly necessary when Ukraine enjoys a strong and well-trained volunteer force and has had to turn back legions of foreign fighters willing to volunteer. As one activist petition reads : “more than 625,000 individuals [have] expressed their willingness to defend the country. Most of these people have did lots of training, know how to handle weapons, learned tactics & communications and have adequate levels of physical and mental preparedness. We believe that properly trained & motivated people should fight.”

A young civilian man takes part in an exercise as he receives combat technique training from a Czech military instructor using mock wooden assault rifles outside a former gym in Lviv on April 21. Leon Neal/Getty Images

University of Münster doctoral candidate Pia Lotta Storf points out that both civilian men and women as yet unconscripted into the armed forces remain civilians and as such should arguably retain all the mobility rights of other war-affected civilians under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and related treaties, such as the Refugee Convention. If civilian protection organizations such as PAX , Human Rights Watch , the International Committee of the Red Cross , and the Center for Civilians in Conflict are looking for a specific request to bring to the Ukrainian government, perhaps this would be it: to allow freedom of movement and humanitarian access for all civilians, without discrimination on the basis of gender.

Zelensky’s eagerness to disavow the increasingly draconian step by his generals suggests perhaps that he is sensitive to the growing pressure over the human rights implications of the martial law. And there are practical reasons for Ukraine to reconsider this law as well. Already in June, an advisor to the head of the president’s office, Oleksiy Arestovych, told the press that the government was considering relaxing the rules rather than escalating them further, in part because it recognized that the country simply did not have sufficient weapons to arm and train the men being held. Moreover, he argued, Kyiv realized that many men could provide more support to the economy and war effort by working and sending money home.

As things stand, the situation is increasingly desperate for Ukrainian families, paradoxically putting civilian men, women, and children in the line of fire. Recently, I heard from Valentina again. She had given up on bringing her husband and son to join her in Amsterdam and decided to make her way back to Ukraine with her newborn daughter instead. The same grassroots network of volunteers who had helped her travel from Ukraine to Amsterdam to give birth now found ourselves organizing a caravan to shuttle her east across the border, infant in arms, back into a war zone.

The last thing I head from her was a panicked text the morning of July 14 with news of another bombing , this time in Vinnytsia, a city in central Ukraine: “My God, I have no words … twenty people burned alive, three babies killed … sorry, I’m at emotions … I text you, because people at the world think war at Ukraine stop, but it’s not … when we have all the documents for Artem, we try to find shelter at other countries.”

Charli Carpenter is a professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a senior research fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, and director of Human Security Lab. Twitter:  @charlicarpenter

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Ukrainians express worries over conscription following Russia's invasion

Ashley Westerman

After Russia's invasion, Ukraine announced martial law in February and issued a travel ban, so most men couldn't leave the country. Many have since felt trapped and worry they'll be drafted to fight.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Ukraine has always had military conscription. It's a legacy of the Soviet Union. But until Russia invaded Ukraine this year, some men could defer military service. Now a travel ban on men between the ages of 18 and 60 has people who never wanted to enlist or who might have gotten deferments feeling trapped and afraid. NPR's Ashley Westerman has more.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Non-English language spoken).

ASHLEY WESTERMAN, BYLINE: A quick trip to Kyiv's main train station shows the spectrum of opinions about mandatory military service to fight this Russian invasion. Ivan Kovichinski was out front, waiting to pick up a friend who's been serving in the East. I asked him if he supported conscription.

IVAN KOVICHINSKI: (Non-English language spoken).

WESTERMAN: "It's war," he says. "If you don't want to go, too bad. It's war." A few feet away, Anastasia Petrova says conscription is probably necessary.

ANASTASIA PETROVA: We have to be prepared to, you know, be the country like Israel, where even women are ready to serve, because, you know, like, we have a neighbor who's insane, so we kind of all have to be ready.

WESTERMAN: But Maxim Ponomarenko, who says he has several friends who have been recently drafted, disagrees.

MAXIM PONOMARENKO: No, I don't think is that the forcing of prescription is the right thing. I believe it has to be voluntary.

WESTERMAN: Not only is conscription not voluntary, the exceptions have been suspended under martial law and a travel ban put in place that prevents most men between the ages of 18 and 60 from leaving the country, effectively trapping them inside Ukraine. Charli Carpenter is the head of the Human Security Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which recently surveyed thousands of Ukrainians about the travel ban. A majority said they do not support requiring men to stay.

CHARLI CARPENTER: They gave a variety of reasons, some of them ethical - human-rights based - and some of them very practical.

WESTERMAN: Like that some men could better support the war effort working abroad and sending money home or that many wouldn't make good soldiers because they aren't trained properly or do not wish to fight, she says. And she says closing the country's borders for men could have some human rights ramifications.

CARPENTER: There's a human rights law that says everybody has the right to leave their country and return to it if they want. And that is a rule in treaty law that can be suspended in time of national emergency, but only when it's strictly necessary, which it's hard to argue this is.

WESTERMAN: When the travel ban was announced by the Ukrainian border service, experts saw it as a move by Kyiv to bolster the Ukrainian resistance.

ROMAN GORBACH: (Non-English language spoken).

WESTERMAN: Colonel Roman Gorbach is the head of personnel for Ukraine's ground forces. He says so far they've primarily called up men with current military contracts, previous combat experience or relevant training. And while he wouldn't talk numbers, the colonel says less than 10% of conscripts who have been called up have been immediately sent to fight and that rumors that men are being randomly picked up off the street and drafted are lies. Regardless of what the government is saying, Anton Waschuk with the Western NIS Enterprise Fund says a good portion of Ukrainian men would still rather leave the country than fight now or later. He says how the war resolves itself will dictate how many people end up leaving.

ANTON WASCHUK: So if there is a good peace deal, then a large proportion of Ukrainians will remain within Ukraine. If there is a further negative outcome, whether that's, you know, further loss of territory or the loss of job opportunities, we can expect anywhere up to 50% of the current population to uproot itself.

WESTERMAN: Ashley Westerman, NPR News, Kyiv.

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Ukraine’s Male Travel Ban and the Protection of Civilians in Wartime

This week on War & Peace , Olga Oliker and Elissa Jobson speak with Charli Carpenter, director of the Human Security Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about the perception and the gendered effects of Ukraine’s male travel ban and ways for better protecting civilians in wartime. 

War, by definition, takes terrible tolls on civilian populations. Just what risks a given person faces depends on many factors, including gender, class and geography. While international law has evolved to protect both civilians and combatants at war, it is not always followed, to say the least, and governments often fail to adequately protect even their own civilian population. In Ukraine, the government's decision to ban most men aged eighteen to 60 from leaving the country has had unexpected effects on Ukrainians, both men and women.

This week on War & Peace , Olga Oliker and Elissa Jobson speak with Charli Carpenter, director of the Human Security Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about the protection of civilians in wartime, the gendered effects of conflict and how all of this is playing out in Ukraine. They discuss misconceptions about conflict and gender and the role of international law in protecting civilians. They delve into the Human Security Lab’s latest research on the perception and effects of Ukraine’s male travel ban and what both the Ukrainian government and its international partners can do to mitigate its unintended humanitarian and strategic consequences. Finally, they address how international law might evolve and how to bring governments to better adhere to them.

Click here to listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify .

Make sure to check out Human Security Lab’s latest report, “ Protecting Civilian Men's Right to Flee the Ukraine War: Strategic and Humanitarian Impacts ”. For more of Crisis Group’s analysis on the topics discussed in this episode, check out our Ukraine country page and our Gender and Conflict page.

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Reports: Ukraine bans all male citizens ages 18 to 60 from leaving the country

The  Ukraine S tate Border Guard Service has announced that men ages 18 to 60 were prohibited from leaving the country, according to reports .

Thursday's action came after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy 's declaration of  martial law across the country after Russia invaded Ukraine and attacked major cities, including the capital, Kyiv. 

"In particular, it is forbidden for men aged 18-60, Ukraine citizens, to leave the borders of Ukraine," a statement from the service said, according to CNN . "This regulation will remain in effect for the period of the legal regime of martial law. We ask the citizens to take this information into consideration."

Under martial law, military officials  are in charge of applying law and not civilian leaders or police. It is usually invoked in times of war when  the rule of law has broken down.

It's really an alien concept': Ukraine's president declared martial law after Russia's attack. But what is it?

Why is Russia invading Ukraine?  Could it be the start of WWIII? Here's what we know

Zelenskyy announced that  137 Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been killed  with hundreds more wounded in the attack. On the second day of the full-scale invasion, the Kremlin forces appeared to be advancing on Kyiv , Ukraine's capital. 

Russia has received international backlash for the "unprovoked and unjustified" invasion. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg  called it a "brutal act of war." President Joe Biden was set to meet with NATO heads of state early Friday to discuss the crisis. 

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, Luciana Lopez

Follow reporter Asha Gilbert @Coastalasha. Email: [email protected].

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Ukraine urged to take ‘humane’ approach as men try to flee war

UN calls for ‘compassionate’ approach to martial law, as aid workers report many men trying to leave were not born in Ukraine

The UN has urged Ukraine to take a “compassionate and humane” approach to the enforcement of martial law after reports of Ukrainian men defying orders to stay and attempting to cross into neighbouring countries to claim asylum.

Men of conscription age, aged 18 to 60, were banned from leaving Ukraine after the Russian invasion on 24 February but there have been multiple reports of men with Ukrainian citizenship trying to cross into Hungary, Poland and Romania. It is unclear how many have been allowed to pass.

The Ukrainian government is not forcing men to fight, only remain in the country, but there are fears of enforced conscription if the violence continues.

According to reports from aid workers, many of those trying to leave were not born in Ukraine and were in the country for work or family reasons when the war began.

The Guardian spoke with one man who was born in Belarus and lived in Germany before taking Ukrainian citizenship to work in the country.

“I am not from Ukraine originally and this is not my war,” said Alexander, who did not want his real name to be used. “I lived in Germany and Poland and I’m a holder of a Polish residence card, which means I can live in Poland for up to 10 years. But because I’m a Ukrainian citizen, I can’t leave. I’m desperate. I am not a coward but I have no blood connection with Ukraine. I managed to talk to the Polish authorities who said they cannot do anything because it is up to the Ukrainian authorities. I have a wife and son but she doesn’t want to leave without me.”

He said he didn’t want to try to cross the border into Poland for fear of being arrested by Ukrainian authorities.

“I know many [men] are attempting to cross. Many of them are paying smugglers to cross. I heard some people made it to Poland but the majority failed. They have been stopped or arrested. And I don’t know about the destiny of those who have been arrested.”

More than 1 million Ukrainians have fled to Poland since the start of the Russian invasion, including 142,300 on Sunday alone, the Polish border force has said.

The village of Medyka, in south-east Poland, is the main border crossing with Ukraine. Thousands of refugees are crossing every day by bus, car and on foot, mostly women and children. The mass exodus is causing severe queues at the border, with lines of people and cars stretching to 14km and waiting times of up to 40 hours.

According to refugees on the Ukrainian side of the border, waiting times are being exacerbated by the Ukrainian authorities, which are checking everyone trying to cross to ensure no men with Ukrainian nationality are passing through.

“We recognise that states have a right to self-defence under both the UN charter and customary international law and that states may also require their citizens to perform military service under certain criteria and conditions, in line with international law,” said Matthew Saltmarsh, head of news and media at UNHCR, the UN refugee agency.

“At the same time … we appreciate these are very challenging circumstances and we would urge a compassionate and humane approach to those who are seeking to flee and are in need of safety and protection.”

After martial law was introduced, the Ukrainian interior minister posted on the Telegram messaging app : “Today is the moment when every Ukrainian who can protect his home must take up arms. Not just to help our soldiers, but to cleanse Ukraine of the enemy, once and for all.”

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian men have volunteered to fight since the Russian invasion began.

The Polish border force, under enormous pressure in what has become Europe’s fastest-moving refugee crisis since the end of the second world war, have said the Ukrainian ban doesn’t apply to Poland and the country is happy to welcome any person leaving Ukraine, regardless of gender. Authorities in Poland also suggested that Ukrainian men who have crossed the border did not need to apply for asylum.

“For us, everybody is equal at the border,” said Piotr Zakielarz, spokesperson for the force’s southern department.

Zakielarz said that, so far, Polish border authorities had no idea how many men had crossed. “We don’t go through the statistics. At this moment, I don’t care about the statistics.”

Under Ukrainian law there are exceptions to the ban on men leaving the country. Male Ukrainian nationals can cross the border if they are financially supporting three or more children under the age of 18, are single fathers of children under 18, or have children or are guardians of children with disabilities.

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UMass report shows devastating effects of Ukraine’s travel ban on its men

• Published: Jul. 11, 2023, 5:39 p.m.
• Staff reports

AMHERST — Far-reaching implications of a travel ban on men imposed by the Ukrainian government shortly after the invasion last year, according to a new report from The Human Security Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The ban, which applies to nearly 9.5 million civilian men aged 18 to 60 in Ukraine, has separated families, trapped college students and other nonresidents inside the country, and limited the freedom of movement of transgender women.

Russia’s war on Ukraine recently passed 500 days.

Among the report’s findings:

• the ban leaves civilian men vulnerable to gender-selective massacres;

• the policy is broadly unpopular among the Ukrainian public;

• the travel ban is inconsistent with international human rights standards during wartime;

• women, children and students are also adversely affected by the ban;

• lifting or relaxing the ban could increase morale, reduce corruption, align Ukraine with Europe rather than with Russia and increase financial giving from abroad;

• and that Ukrainians believe they can contribute to the war effort even if abroad.

The report is based on a comprehensive survey of more than 4,000 Ukrainian citizens, analyses of citizen comments on petitions to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging him to lift the ban, and numerous consultations with experts and civil-society organizations.

“Ukraine is rightly fighting for its life against an invader, but this report shows that it’s high time to rethink this particular law on humanitarian and strategic grounds,” said Charli Carpenter, professor of political science and director of the Human Security Lab, in a statement. “We have a year of evidence that splitting up families and forcing men to stay is harmful, unnecessary and counterproductive to both the war effort and wider goals of democracy and civilian protection.”

Read the full report, “Protecting Civilian Men’s Right to Flee the Ukraine War: Strategic and Humanitarian Impacts,” at humansecuritylab.net .

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Several categories of men banned from leaving Ukraine in 2023

In 2022, MPs and officials were included on the list of people who can cross the border of Ukraine for vacation. In 2023, most officials and parliamentarians will lose the right to cross the border of Ukraine without a permit after Ukraine adopts the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine dated Jan. 23, 2023, on issues related to crossing the state border of Ukraine under martial law.

Read also: Zelensky responds to petition to lift ban on men leaving Ukraine

In accordance with this, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved a list of officials and MPs who will not be able to cross the border of Ukraine by presidential decree.

The head of state emphasized that the decision applies to all central government officials and all levels of local government, "everyone who has to work for the state and within the state."

"If they want to rest now, they will rest outside the civil service. Officials will no longer be able to travel abroad for vacation or for any other non-state-related purpose," Zelenskyy said.

Permission needed to travel:

According to the presidential decree, civil servants have lost the right to go on vacation abroad. By the decision of the National Security and Defense Council, the following categories cannot go on vacation abroad:

Members of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine;

First deputies and deputy ministers;

Heads of central executive bodies, their first deputies and deputies;

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and his/her deputies;

Heads of other auxiliary bodies and services established by the President of Ukraine and their deputies;

The Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, his/her first deputy and deputies;

The Chairman and members of the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Radio Broadcasting;

The Chairman and members of the Accounting Chamber;

Chairman and members of the Central Election Commission;

Heads and members of other state collegial bodies;

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, his/her first deputies and deputies;

Members of Parliament of Ukraine;

The Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and his/her representatives;

Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine, his/her first deputy and deputies;

The Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and his/her deputies;

Heads of local state administrations, their first deputies and deputies;

Judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine;

Prosecutors;

Heads of other state bodies and their deputies;

Heads of structural subdivisions of state bodies;

Employees reserved for the period of mobilization and wartime by state authorities, other state bodies, and local government bodies.

All of the above persons may travel abroad for official purposes only.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine collected data for men and commented on the rules for traveling abroad during the war. The following rules applied to civil servants:

Civil servants and persons liable for military service who have been reserved for the period of mobilization and wartime could previously go on business trips and vacations .

For a business trip , they had to provide the documents specified in Article 2 of the Law of Ukraine On the Procedure for Departure from and Entry into Ukraine of Citizens of Ukraine and the following documents:

a passport of a citizen of Ukraine for traveling abroad or a diplomatic passport of Ukraine or a service passport of Ukraine;

documents confirming a business trip (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 440 of April 12, 2022);

certificate of deferment from conscription;

notification of enrollment in special military registration (CMU Order No. 493-r of Aug. 8, 1995) or an extract from the order of the Ministry of Economy (according to paragraph 5 of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 194 of 03.03.2022 "Some issues of reservation of persons liable for military service under the legal regime of martial law").

To go on vacation , they had to provide the following documents:

documents confirming the vacation;

a certificate of deferment from conscription and a notice of enrollment in a special military registration (CMU Resolution No. 493-r of Aug. 8, 1995).

According to the new rules, individuals are prohibited from traveling abroad on vacation and without the relevant documents.

Within five days, the Cabinet of Ministers is to develop rules for crossing the border by officials, according to which they will be able to leave Ukraine only on "genuine official trips."

Read also: No need for mass mobilization in Ukraine yet, minister says

Ukraine’s SBU security service should take measures to verify the legality of decisions of the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, regional and Kyiv city military administrations on the departure of Ukrainian citizens from Ukraine, including by vehicles, as well as the legality and validity of entering relevant information into the “Shlyakh” information system.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine should ensure that the military administration and military commanders strictly comply with the requirements of the law when dealing with issues related to crossing the state border of Ukraine.

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine

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HSL Reveals Devastating Effects of Ukraine's Travel Ban on Civilian Men

As Russia’s war in Ukraine passes the 500-day mark, the Human Security Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has released a  new report  detailing the far-reaching implications of a travel ban on men imposed by the Ukrainian government shortly after the invasion last year. The ban, which applies to nearly 9.5 million civilian men aged 18 to 60 in Ukraine, has separated families, trapped college students and other nonresidents inside the country, and limited the freedom of movement of transgender women.

“Ukraine is rightly fighting for its life against an invader, but this report shows that it's high time to rethink this particular law on humanitarian and strategic grounds,” says  Charli Carpenter , professor of political science and director of the Human Security Lab. “We have a year of evidence that splitting up families and forcing men to stay is harmful, unnecessary and counterproductive to both the war effort and wider goals of democracy and civilian protection.”

The report presents the following key findings:

• The ban leaves civilian men vulnerable to gender-selective massacres.
• The policy continues to be broadly unpopular among the Ukrainian public.
• Restricting the right of civilian men to leave a war zone is inconsistent with international human rights standards.
• Women,  children  and students are also adversely affected by the ban.
• Lifting or relaxing the ban could increase war morale, reduce corruption, align Ukraine with Europe rather than with Russia and increase remittances from abroad.
• Ukrainians believe they can contribute to the war effort even if they cross the border.

The report is based on a comprehensive  survey  of more than 4,000 Ukrainian citizens, analyses of citizen comments on petitions to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging him to lift the ban, and numerous consultations with experts and civil-society organizations. It adds context and perspective to the results of an  initial survey  conducted last year.

The survey responses give rarely discussed insights into the lives of civilians in Ukraine under the Russian onslaught, highlighting the vulnerability of untrained civilian men to harm by Russian troops, as well as the harm to women and children when families are separated.

Though there has been considerable attention to civilian harms from the war, the Human Security Lab is the first organization to directly address the issue of the travel ban itself and how it relates to human rights, civilian  protection  and military strategy.

Carpenter says the report provides compelling evidence that the ban should be curtailed or repealed. She is calling on humanitarian organizations around the world to advocate for all civilians equally, regardless of gender.

“We hope that President Zelenskyy will listen to his people, adopt an enlightened approach rather than a Soviet-era one, and set an example for other nations with outdated gender-selective laws in wartime,” Carpenter says.

The Human Security Lab is a research collective dedicated to promoting the global public good and amplifying the voices of civilians in conflict zones. The full report, “ Protecting Civilian Men’s Right to Flee the Ukraine War: Strategic and Humanitarian Impacts ,” and information about the lab’s other work can be found at  humansecuritylab.net .

This article first appeared on UMass Amherst News & Events . 

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• International

January 11, 2023 Russia-Ukraine news

By Kathleen Magramo , Andrew Raine , Sophie Tanno, Aditi Sangal and Adrienne Vogt , CNN

Reports about travel restrictions for Russian men of military age are a "hoax," Kremlin says

From CNN's Anna Chernova, Radina Gigova and Olga Voitovych

Information about alleged restrictions on traveling outside Russia for men of military age is "hoax and sabotage," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday. 

"This is a common information hoax and sabotage," Peskov said when asked during a daily call with reporters whether alleged travel restrictions for Russian men were implemented on January 9. 

The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine reported Wednesday, citing an order that was allegedly sent by Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), that from January 9 the Russian Federation has restricted departures from the country for persons fit for military service, including those who are limitedly fit for service.

CNN cannot independently verify the alleged FSB order the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence is referring to.

Ukraine denies Russian troops control Soledar, says battles are "ongoing"

From CNN's Olga Voitovych in Kyiv

The Ukrainian armed forces have told CNN that "Russian troops do not control Soledar."

In a short call Wednesday, Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesman for Eastern Group of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that "battles are ongoing there. The Armed Forces of Ukraine and other defense forces are regrouping."

He described the suggestion that Russian forces control and surrounded Soledar as being an "information operation."

He also called out the Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin for "staging" a photo that claimed to show him in a salt mine. Earlier, Prigozhin said that Wagner forces were in total control of the town.

Cherevatyi said Ukrainian forces are supplying troops with ammunition and food and described the situation as being "under control." He added options to "improve the tactical situation were being looked for."

Some context: Russian troops are focused on seizing Soledar, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address. On Tuesday evening he thanked Ukrainian troops for their "bravery and steadfastness in defending Soledar."

Ukraine’s military on Wednesday insisted the situation in the town was "under control," and claimed that "Soledar was, is and always will be Ukrainian."

Russia’s defense ministry says airborne units have "blocked" northern and southern parts of Soledar

From CNN's Seb Shukla

The Russian defense ministry has said that airborne units have blocked northern and southern parts of Soledar.

In a daily update posted on Telegram, the ministry said that "Russian Aerospace Forces strike at enemy strongholds" in Soledar and that "assault" squads are fighting in the town. 

Previously, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin said that only Wagner units are fighting in Soledar. Prigozhin said late Tuesday Kyiv-time that Wagner units had taken control "of the entire territory of Soledar."

CNN has been unable to verify those claims.

President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly address thanked Ukrainian soldiers "for their bravery and steadfastness in defending Soledar."

Commenting Wednesday on the situation on the ground in Soledar, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov tempered reports about Soledar, saying there was a "positive trend" in the town, but he did not say Russian forces were in control.

The capture of Soledar – a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine – would have military and commercial value for Russia.

Ukrainian troops have repelled a previous Russian attempt to capture the town, Zelensky’s deputy defense minister said  on Monday .

Kremlin tempers comments on Soledar operation, saying Russian troops have "positive trend"

From CNN’s Anna Chernova and Seb Shukla

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has cautioned against premature announcements on the capture of the Ukrainian town of Soledar , but did say there is a “positive trend.”

“There is a positive trend there,” Peskov said when asked on a conference call to comment on the results of the operation of capturing the mining town of Soledar in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

“Success in military operations will be achieved when we fulfill the goals set by the Supreme Commander [Russian President Vladimir Putin] in the course of the special military operation,” he added. Moscow has continuously referred to its invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation.”

Some context: The leader of Russian private military contractor Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin , claimed late Tuesday that the group had taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.” 

Russian troops are focused on seizing Soledar, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address. On Tuesday evening he thanked Ukrainian troops for their “bravery and steadfastness in defending Soledar.”

Ukraine’s military on Wednesday insisted the situation in the town was “under control,” and claimed that “Soledar was, is and always will be Ukrainian.”

Wagner leader claims Russians have taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar”

From CNN's Seb Shukla and Josh Pennington

The founder and head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin , says the group has taken control of the “entire territory of Soledar.”

CNN has been unable to verify those claims and Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly address thanked Ukrainian soldiers “for their bravery and steadfastness in defending Soledar.”

A Ukrainian solder told CNN on Tuesday that the situation in and around the city was “critical” and “difficult”. 

Late on Tuesday Kyiv-time, Prigozhin said in a short comment on his Telegram channel that the center of Soledar is “like a cauldron, where urban fighting is taking place.”

He added that it was only Wagner units fighting for control of the city, not the Russian Armed Forces. 

Some context: The capture of Soledar – a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine – would have military and commercial value for Russia. Ukrainian troops have repelled a previous Russian attempt to capture the town, Zelensky’s deputy defense minister had said  on Monday

Analysis: As Russia’s military stalls, Putin’s chef serves up his Wagner shock troops to rescue campaign

By CNN's Tim Lister

Russian oligarch  Yevgeny Prigozhin  is fighting his own war in eastern Ukraine, an often crude and increasingly vocal presence in Russia’s Moscow’s  faltering military campaign .

He is pitching himself and his  Wagner mercenary group  as the real patriots, in contrast to what he derides as the corrupt and incompetent military hierarchy. The language is getting harsher, and the stakes higher.

In the last few weeks, Prigozhin has been seen close to the frontlines in the occupied eastern region of Donetsk, delivering oranges to the troops or grimly reviewing body bags, and engaging with his fighters in unvarnished and sometimes brutal language.

He rarely misses an opportunity to take a swipe at the establishment. Somewhere in Donetsk last week, Prigozhin told his fighters: “Once we conquer our internal bureaucracy and corruption, then we will conquer the Ukrainians and NATO … The problem is that the bureaucrats and those engaging in corruption won’t listen to us now because for New Year’s they are all drinking champagne.”

For Prigozhin, the chief bureaucrat that he has in mind is Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. The two appear to have fallen out over lucrative military contracts given to and then taken from Prigozhin’s Concord Group, as well as Wagner’s controversial role in Syria.

Read the full analysis here .

"There will be no third world war:" Zelensky's message of hope at the Golden Globes

By CNN's  Scottie Andrew

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared in a video message during the  Golden Globes telecast  to thank his allies in the “free world.”

Sean Penn introduced the Ukrainian comedian-turned-politician with nods to ongoing protests in Iran, during which several citizens have been executed, and the women’s rights movement in Afghanistan. The Oscar winner previously met with Zelensky in Kyiv and  gifted him one of his Academy Awards , asking the president to return it when the war ends.

Zelensky told the Hollywood crowd that the “war in Ukraine is not over yet, but the tide is turning, and it is already clear who will win,” to some applause.

“There are still battles and tears ahead,” Zelensky said in a recorded message. “But now I can tell you who was the best in the previous year – you in the free world, who united around support of free Ukrainian people.”

Zelensky recalled the Golden Globes of the early 1940s, before World War II had ended.

Zelensky has previously appeared virtually at the  Cannes Film Festival  and the  Grammy Awards  to discuss the conflict and thank those in the entertainment industry who’ve raised awareness of it. Some honorees at the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Awards also  name-dropped  him as an example of a courageous leader.

In eastern Ukraine's embattled Soledar, "no one counts the dead," soldier tells CNN

From CNN’s Yulia Keseiva in Kyiv

A Ukrainian soldier fighting in the eastern town of Soledar told CNN that the situation is “critical” and the death toll is now so high that “no one counts the dead.” 

The soldier is from the 46th air mobile brigade, which is leading Ukraine’s fight to hold onto Soledar in the face of a massive assault from Russian troops and Wagner mercenaries.

CNN is not identifying him for security reasons. 

He described a dynamic battlefield where buildings change hands daily and units can’t keep track of the escalating death toll. “No one will tell you how many dead and wounded there are. Because no one knows for sure. Not a single person,” he said. “Not at the headquarters. Not anywhere. Positions are being taken and re-taken constantly. What was our house today, becomes Wagner's the next day.”

The soldier said it was unclear as of Tuesday night how much of the town was held by the Russians: “No one can definitely say who moved where and who holds what, because no one knows for sure. There is a huge grey area in the city that everyone claims to control, [but] it’s just any empty hype.”

The Ukrainians have lost many troops in Soledar but the ranks are being replenished as the fight for the mining town continues, he said: “The personnel of our units have been renewed by almost half, more or less. We do not even have time to memorize each other’s call signs [when new personnel arrive].”

The soldier said that he believed Ukraine’s military leaders would eventually abandon the fight for Soledar and questioned why they hadn’t done this yet. “Everyone understands that the city will be abandoned. Everyone understands this,” he said. “I just want to understand what the point [in fighting house to house] is. Why die, if we are going to leave it anyway today or tomorrow?”

Some context: The 46th air mobile brigade said on its Telegram channel on Tuesday that the situation in Soledar was “very difficult, but manageable." 

In his nightly address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the soldiers of the brigade “for their bravery and steadfastness in defending Soledar.”

Russian artillery fire down 75% in some areas, US officials say, in latest sign of struggles for Moscow

From CNN's Natasha Bertrand, Oren Liebermann and Alex Marquardt

As Russia’s  invasion of Ukraine  enters its 11th month, US and Ukrainian officials tell CNN that Russia’s artillery fire is down dramatically from its wartime high, in some places by as much as 75%.

US and Ukrainian officials don’t yet have a clear or singular explanation. Russia may be rationing artillery rounds due to low supplies, or it could be part of a broader reassessment of tactics in the face of successful Ukrainian offenses.

Either way, the striking decline in artillery fire is further evidence of Russia’s increasingly weak position on the battlefield nearly a year into its invasion, US and Ukrainian officials told CNN. It also comes as Ukraine is enjoying increased military support from its western allies, with the United States and Germany announcing last week that they will be providing Ukrainian forces for the first time with  armored fighting vehicles , as well as another Patriot Defense missile battery that will help protect its skies.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, is apparently clambering to shore up domestic political support, US intelligence officials believe, for a war he initially would only describe as a limited “special military operation.”

US officials believe the  36-hour ceasefire  Putin ordered in Ukraine last week to allow for the observance of Orthodox Christmas was an attempt to pander to Russia’s extensive Christian population, two people familiar with the intelligence told CNN, as well as an opportunity for Putin to blame Ukrainians for breaking it and paint them as heretical heathens.

Read the full story here .

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Ukraine desperately needs to replenish its depleted forces in the face of relentless Russian attacks.

So it has lowered the draft age from 27 to 25.

That means that more young people will have to leave their jobs to join the army.

And face an almost certain future of violence and tragedy.

Supported by

‘Waiting for My Time to Come’: Ukraine’s New Draft Law Unsettles the Young

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Photographs by David Guttenfelder

By Yurii Shyvala and Thomas Gibbons-Neff

David Guttenfelder and Yurii Shyvala traveled across Ukraine to talk to young people about the country’s conscription law.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine probably changed the fates of thousands of Ukrainian men when he signed a law lowering the draft age to 25 from 27 this month , more than two years after Russia began its full-scale invasion.

Ukrainian forces are struggling to hold back the far larger Russian Army, and desperately need their ranks replenished. Now many of the young men who remain in Ukraine — thousands of others have illegally fled the country — worry about their future.

Reporters from The New York Times spoke to Ukrainian men who could be affected by the change.

‘I am worried, even a little scared’

Yegor Khomchenko, the owner of a communal bakery in eastern Ukraine who turns 25 next month, said he had many friends who had gone to war.

But he said that his wife, Amelia, had told him that she would “do everything possible to prevent me from being taken away” if he were to be drafted.

“I am worried, even a little scared,” Mr. Khomchenko said. “But everything will be as God intended.”

Mr. Khomchenko lives in Druzhkivka, an industrial town in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine. Russia has shelled the town with missiles and artillery, but life goes on, even though on most nights you can still hear the rumble of fighting on the front line nearby. At the beginning of the war, his wife, then pregnant, traveled to the central Ukraine city of Dnipro. She returned home after giving birth to their son.

“She feels quite calm here because our family is together. We can’t imagine living separately, and don’t know how people separated by war for months and years can cope with this ordeal,” he said. “Of course, when there is shelling in Druzhkivka, Amelia is scared, but we are strong together,” he added.

‘I was terrified at the thought of going to war’

Nestor Babskyi, 23, a physical therapist at a rehabilitation center in western Ukraine, sees several Ukrainian soldiers a day who have been wounded and maimed by the war. He said he felt guilt about not having served himself and a sense of dread for what lay ahead.

“At first,” Mr. Babskyi said, “I was terrified at the thought of going to war, but now I am calm about it.”

The wounded soldiers “have played their role and returned to live their lives, so I’m waiting for my time to come.” He added: “I realize that I will definitely be more useful there than here. This thought calms me down.”

‘Young people are the future'

Oleksandr Manchenko, 26, a journalist from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, who has covered the war, noted the tough calculation that President Zelensky had probably faced in lowering the draft age.

“Young people are the future, no matter how trite it may sound,” Mr. Manchenko said.

“Perhaps he thought that Ukraine could do without mobilizing young people, but apparently the military situation does not allow us to have such a luxury,” he said.

Mr. Manchenko said he respected the bravery of those who enlisted in the early days of the war. “It is thanks to them that we survived,” he said, adding that he doubted his own courage and did not want to fight.

“Furthermore, I want to continue doing what I am doing because I think my work is also important,” he said. “But I’m not going to run away from mobilization and hide. So we’ll see how my fate unfolds.”

‘I need to be as professional as possible’

Maksym Sukhyi, 27, a dental technician in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, had already reached the minimum conscription age when the new law was signed on April 3. He said he had been training to go to war since August 2022 but had yet to enlist.

He has been looking for a unit to join while learning about weapons and tactics at a camp on the weekends and going to the gym.

Training in Ukrainian military units is often uneven at best, and those men who are drafted — rather than the ones who join voluntarily — are often assigned to the infantry. Those ground troops usually pull the hardest duty: sitting in trenches under heavy shelling and attacking enemy lines if need be.

Mr. Sukhyi said he was bracing for such possibilities.

“I need to be as professional as possible. If I go to war, I also want to be a professional there,” he said. “Therefore, I prepare for possible mobilization as much as time and financial resources allow. If I end up at war, I don’t want to be someone who knows nothing.”

‘My parents are more worried’

Vasyl Vanzhurak, 24, is a sawmill worker in western Ukraine’s Carpathian Mountains. He said that he had wanted to enlist but his father went off to fight, leaving him to take care of his mother and other relatives in the war’s early months.

“Am I worried? Yes and no,” Mr. Vanzhurak said. “My parents are more worried about me going to the army than I am.”

He said he realized that with such a brutal war going on, “they still need people there.”

‘This war, unfortunately, will last a long time’

Denys Yemets, an electrician at a steel plant in southern Ukraine, turned 25 last month. He said he was not too worried about the change in the draft age since he believed he was needed more at the steel plant than in the army. But, if called up, he would go fight, he said.

“I’ve already gotten used to the idea that this war, unfortunately, will last a long time,” he said. “At first, we all hoped that it would be over quickly, but later it turned out that reality is much harsher.”

Mr. Yemets said that his uncle and stepfather, who had already fought in the war, had discouraged him from fighting. “They really did not want me to follow in their footsteps and serve in the army,” he said.

“I am the only male descendant left in the family, and they are very worried that I won’t be OK,” he said. “They would definitely want me to stay at the plant and continue to support my mother, aunt and grandmother.”

Generations of Ukrainians were upended when Russia invaded. As the war continues with no end in sight, Ukraine’s youngest are in increasing peril, at risk of being dragged toward the carnage of ground combat as they defend their homeland.

On the front lines, their fate will be decided by, as the English World War I poet Wilfred Owen once wrote, “chance’s strange arithmetic.”

Thomas Gibbons-Neff is a Ukraine correspondent and a former Marine infantryman. More about Thomas Gibbons-Neff

Our Coverage of the War in Ukraine

News and Analysis

At least 17 people were killed and scores more injured when three Russian missiles struck a busy downtown district of Chernihiv , north of Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said.

The top American military commander in Europe warned that Ukraine could lose the war with Russia  if the United States did not send more ammunition to Ukrainian forces, and fast.

Ukrainian lawmakers passed a mobilization law aimed at replenishing the nation’s exhausted and depleted fighting forces .

A U.S. Lawmaker Speaks Out : Representative Chuck Edwards, a Republican from North Carolina, has emerged as a vocal proponent of U.S. aid to Ukraine in a party that has grown hostile to it. He discussed his recent trip there  in a Q. and A.

Hollowing Out a Generation: Ukraine desperately needs new recruits, but it is running up against a critical demographic constraint long in the making: It has very few young men .

Conditional Support: Ukraine wants a formal invitation to join NATO, but the alliance has no appetite for taking on a new member  that would draw it into the biggest land war in Europe since 1945.

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Ukraine should reconsider its male travel ban

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It is a violation of human rights, it is unnecessary, it forces unbearable decisions on families, and creates new vulnerabilities. As it renews its martial and mobilization laws in August, Ukraine should reconsider its male travel ban

In order to respond to Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky immediately declared martial law and a general mobilization. On the evening of 24 February 2022, it was announced that men between the age of 18 and 60 would not be allowed to leave the country. More than 500 days later, as the war continues unabated, the travel ban for males remains in force with only relatively minor exceptions for parents of three or more children, invalids, and few other categories of citizens . As a consequence, millions of Ukrainian men are not allowed to leave the country, even if a vast majority of them are not conscripted in the army, are not involved in any military training, and remain, to all effects and purposes, civilians with no immediate war-related obligation.

From the very beginning, the policy has imposed unbearable choices on families who had to choose between remaining together in a war zone or separating in ways that increased the vulnerabilities of all those involved: men, women and children. It predictably fostered corruption, as it created a black market for men bribing their way through the border or relying on smugglers . As it quickly emerged, it made also little practical or strategic sense, as the Ukrainian army has been consistently filling up its ranks without retorting to forced recruitment, which would anyway be problematic.

The policy has received mostly muted criticism, largely as a consequence of strong support for Ukraine’s wartime leadership and widespread acknowledgement of the fact that Ukraine is fighting a defensive and existential war. Internationally, tacit support for the male travel ban may also be related to the fact that it implicitly reiterates how this war will be fought by Ukrainian citizens, without direct involvement of foreign armies. Arguably even more important is the fact that the policy sits well with a gender essentialist perspective that depicts men as fighters and defenders of the motherland, and women as victims in need of protection.

This stereotyped view is obviously problematic for a number of reasons, including the fact that civilian men are exceptionally vulnerable in war zones as they are more likely to be targeted in summary executions or treated as combatants, but also because women obviously can, and indeed do, take up military and combat roles. About 50 000 women are currently serving in the Ukrainian army , including 5 000 in combat roles in the front lines. As argued by Olya Oliker on Foreign Affairs , “ to build a truly modern army, Ukraine needs not just the newest weaponry but also state-of-the art approaches to recruiting and retaining the best personnel”; further facilitating and promoting involvement of female volunteers may well be more effective than recurring to forced mobilization of men.

A recently released study by the Human Security Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, “ Protecting Civilian Men’s Right to Flee the Ukraine War ” (also discussed with its lead author in a recent Crisis Group podcast ), includes survey results showing that even if there is still widespread support for the policy, most Ukrainians would actually prefer to see changes to the current male travel ban. In recommending that the ban be lifted, the report highlights how the policy has “unclear strategic benefits but several strategic downsides”, including a negative impact on war morale . It also recommends that Ukraine’s allies in the West “should encourage Zelensky to relax the travel ban on civilian men, citing both human rights standards and strategic imperatives”, and that global civil society organisations “should openly advocate for and ensure the gender-neutral protection of all civilians”.

Most importantly, as argued in this report and elsewhere , the current ban is an obvious violation of human rights, and it should be denounced as such. From the first weeks of the war, experts have criticised the male travel ban policy on both moral and practical grounds , while clearly acknowledging and respecting the fact that as the victim of a war of aggression with a duty to protect its population from invading forces the government in Kyiv has the right to take exceptional measures that would not be warranted in peace time. The policy, however, is both harmful and unnecessary, as it leads to huge numbers of prolonged involuntary family separations and deprives millions of men of their freedom of movement with no apparent benefit to Ukraine’s war effort. More flexible solutions should be preferred, allowing both civilian men and military men on leave to cross the border, possibly encouraging (but not mandating) a pledge to return if called. As it renews its martial and mobilization laws in August, Ukraine should reconsider its male travel ban.

Episode Details

Ukraine’s male travel ban and the protection of civilians in wartime.

War, by definition, takes terrible tolls on civilian populations. Just what risks a given person faces depends on many factors, including gender, class and geography. While international law has evolved to protect both civilians and combatants at war, it is not always followed, to say the least, and governments often fail to adequately protect even their own civilian population. In Ukraine, the government's decision to ban most men aged eighteen to 60 from leaving the country has had unexpected effects on Ukrainians, both men and women. 

This week on War & Peace , Olga Oliker and Elissa Jobson speak with Charli Carpenter, director of the Human Security Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, about the protection of civilians in wartime, the gendered effects of conflict and how all of this is playing out in Ukraine. They discuss misconceptions about conflict and gender and the role of international law in protecting civilians. They delve into the Human Security Lab’s latest research on the perception and effects of Ukraine’s male travel ban and what both the Ukrainian government and its international partners can do to mitigate its unintended humanitarian and strategic consequences. Finally, they address how international law might evolve and how to bring governments to better adhere to them. 

Make sure to check out Human Security Lab’s latest report, “ Protecting Civilian Men's Right to Flee the Ukraine War: Strategic and Humanitarian Impacts ”. For more of Crisis Group’s analysis on the topics discussed in this episode, check out our Ukraine country page and our Gender and Conflict page.

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Ukraine Travel Advisory

Travel advisory may 22, 2023, ukraine - level 4: do not travel.

Do not travel to Ukraine due to Russia’s war against Ukraine. The Department of State continues to advise that U.S. citizens not travel to Ukraine due to active armed conflict. Read the entire Travel Advisory.

All U.S. citizens should carefully monitor U.S. government notices and local and international media outlets for information about changing security conditions and alerts to shelter in place. Those choosing to remain in Ukraine should exercise caution due to the potential for military attacks, crime, civil unrest, and consult the Department’s latest security alerts.

The security situation in Ukraine remains unpredictable. U.S. citizens in Ukraine should stay vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness. Know the location of your closest shelter or protected space. In the event of mortar, missile, drone, or rocket fire, follow instructions from local authorities and seek shelter immediately. If you feel your current location is no longer safe, you should carefully assess the potential risks involved in moving to a different location.

There are continued reports of Russian forces and their proxies singling out U.S. citizens in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine for detention, interrogation, or harassment because of their nationality. U.S. citizens have also been singled out when evacuating by land through Russia-occupied territory or to Russia or Belarus.

U.S. citizens seeking emergency assistance should email [email protected] for assistance. Please review what the U.S. government can and cannot do to assist you in a crisis overseas . U.S. citizens may also seek consular services, including requests for repatriation loans, passports, and visa services, at U.S. embassies and consulates in neighboring countries .

On February 24, 2022, the Ukrainian government declared a state of emergency. Each province (oblast) decides on measures to be implemented according to local conditions. Measures could include curfews, restrictions on the freedom of movement, ID verification, and increased security inspections, among other measures. Follow any oblast-specific state of emergency measures.

Many in the international community, including the United States and Ukraine, do not recognize Russia’s purported annexation of Crimea in 2014, nor the September 2022 purported annexation of four other Ukrainian oblasts -- Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. There is extensive Russian Federation military presence in these areas. There are also abuses against foreigners and the local population by the occupation authorities in these regions, particularly against those who are seen as challenging Russia’s occupation.

Although Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine severely restricts the Embassy’s access and ability to provide services in these areas, the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv continue to remotely provide certain emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in Crimea as well as four other Ukrainian oblasts partially occupied by Russia – Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia – to the extent possible given security conditions.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Notice to Air Missions (NOTAM) prohibiting U.S. aviation operations into, out of, within, or over Ukraine. For more information, U.S. citizens should consult the FAA’s Prohibitions, Restrictions, and Notices .

Read the country information page for additional information on travel to Ukraine.

Travel to High-Risk Areas

If you choose to disregard the Travel Advisory and travel to Ukraine, you should consider taking the following steps:

• Visit our website on Travel to High-Risk areas .
• Draft a will and designate appropriate insurance beneficiaries and/or power of attorney.
• Discuss a plan with loved ones regarding care/custody of children, pets, property, belongings, non-liquid assets (collections, artwork, etc.), funeral wishes, etc.
• Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return as planned to the United States.
• Leave DNA samples with your medical provider in case it is necessary for your family to access them.
• Establish your own personal security plan in coordination with your employer or host organization or consider consulting with a professional security organization.
• Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization so that they can monitor your safety and location as you travel through high-risk areas. This plan should specify who you would contact first and how they should share the information.
• Enroll your trip in the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter .
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the Traveler’s Checklist .

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Ukraine parliament overhauls army draft rules to boost troop strength

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• Ukraine's armed forces face acute manpower problems
• General Sodol urged lawmakers to pass bill
• Bill watered down draft dodging penalties proposed earlier
• Prominent commander says bill won't bring about 'miracles'

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Ukraine adopts new mobilisation law to boost military

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Isobel Koshiw in Kyiv

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The Ukrainian parliament has adopted a long-debated law on mobilisation as the country struggles to replenish its forces more than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Ukraine is in desperate need of new recruits, with the military leadership having estimated that hundreds of thousands of men are needed to replace casualties and servicemen who have been on the front since the war began.

The law comes at a critical point in Ukraine’s defence against Russian forces, which are regaining the initiative on the battlefield with more weaponry and men than Kyiv can muster. Moscow has also intensified its aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities in a bid to overwhelm its rapidly depleting air defences.

The bill includes better pay and longer leave periods but lawmakers failed to agree on setting a hard deadline to the time soldiers spend on the battlefield — a core demand from families of those deployed and a significant factor for potential recruits to shun military service.

“The main question for those serving and those who might be potentially mobilised [is] ‘how long will I serve?’ Without this, I don’t think the law will improve mobilisation,” said Oleksiy Goncharenko, an opposition MP from the European Solidarity party.

The law, which lawmakers began drafting last summer, has been politically charged as the leadership in Kyiv shuns a mandatory draft that would alienate the population and derail its war-torn economy. More than 4,000 amendments to the draft bill have been submitted this year.

A first draft had proposed limiting terms to 36 months.

But at the last minute, the term limit was scrapped at the request of Ukraine’s commander-in-chief of the armed forces Oleksandr Syrsky and defence minister Rustem Umerov. A separate law about the terms of service would be adopted soon, the two military chiefs said.

“Syrsky and Umerov are scared of demobilisation. They are worried about losing men with combat experience. But these are people, not machines, they need a break,” said Goncharenko.

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s defence ministry, Dmytro Lazutkin, said term limits were scrapped “to avoid a negative impact on the country’s defence capabilities” and that a new piece of legislation would be drafted within eight months.

Military experts agree that term limits are not realistic at this point in the conflict.

“Of course, it would be better to include the terms of service,” said Serhiy Kuzan, chair of the Ukrainian Security and Cooperation Center, a think-tank. “But in order to demobilise this number of people, we need to be able to provide an equivalent number of people and these people have to be trained and equipped.”

Seemingly frustrated with the slow pace of the parliamentary proceedings, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy last week signed three separate laws on measures that were set to be included in the bill, including lowering the eligibility age from 27 to 25 in order to widen the pool of recruits.

Zelenskyy criticised MPs for how they handled the law, saying it had allowed Russia to manipulate the west into believing that “Ukrainians are not prepared to continue defending their state”.

“Mobilisation is already ongoing, the laws around it are changing and there are difficulties . . . but we are not preparing to surrender,” said Zelenskyy.

Among the benefits included for servicemen is additional leave for those who destroy Russian equipment and weapons and at least 15 days of annual leave, up from 10 days. Those who have been on the frontline for three months will be rotated out for at least a month. At present, there are no hard rules on frontline rotations.

Soldiers will be exempt from some interest charges and penalties for non-payment of loans, and they will also get one-off payments towards their mortgages, among other bonuses.

The most controversial measure — a proposed economic reserve system where companies or individuals would pay a certain levy to exempt their workers from the draft — was not included in the final law.

Businesses have urged the government for more clarity and predictability but critics, including Kuzan, described some of the proposals as mobilisation for the poor and said the principle of fairness needed to be upheld for societal balance.

Ihor Kopytin, a member of the parliament’s defence committee, said the economic reserve system would be decided by the government, which may or may not bring forward more legislation.

He said the defence committee had done its best to find the right balance for a fair and effective mobilisation system.

The current law has incentive programmes that will encourage men to join voluntarily, including being able to choose where they serve, he said.

“The army needs motivated and determined fighters,” said Kopytin.

An electronic registry will be set up, allowing recruitment centres to ditch their paper systems. This will be key to helping Ukraine understand “what potential mobilisation resource they can count on”, Kopytin said. “We are opposed by a large, well-armed army, and we need to understand how to resist it.”

Men are now obliged to carry their registration document with them and those who fail to register are deemed to be evading military service.

“It’s very difficult to keep the balance. There will never be a law which will satisfy everyone — different sections will suffer, from the army to businesses, in different amounts,” said Kuzan.

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