“More than 200 searches in 19 regions”: in the midst of war, Ukraine fights against deserters by carrying out “special operations”

Ukrainian police announced Friday that they were conducting "more than 200 searches" targeting networks that allowed men who refused to join the military to flee abroad.

“The police have begun conducting searches in 19 regions of Ukraine at the homes of people involved”, they said in a statement.

Ukraine, which has been fighting the Russian invasion for three years, is struggling to replenish the ranks of its army, which is suffering heavy losses and desertions in the face of more numerous and better-equipped Russian troops who have been gaining ground for months, particularly in the east of the country.

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A “special operation”

Last week, the police had already announced that they were carrying out more than 600 searches, the first step in a “special operation” intended to dismantle the networks helping those who refuse to join the army to cross the border illegally.

Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving their country, with some exceptions. Those who want to escape possible mobilization therefore cross the border illegally.

Unofficial estimates put the number of Ukrainians who were able to leave illegally by using smugglers, false papers or bribes paid to border guards as thousands, if not tens of thousands.

Dozens of them have lost their lives trying to swim across border rivers.

The system of military mobilization, which is riddled with scandals, is widely criticized in Ukraine and widely considered ineffective, corrupt and unfair, which prompted President Volodymyr Zelensky to dismiss all regional officials responsible for mobilization in 2023.