From: DW News by Iryna Ukhina at the Polish-Ukrainian border
passing slowly through the Shehyni checkpoint in the region of Lviv, a city close to Ukraine’s border with Poland. There is no line for pedestrians, most of whom are elderly people, women and children. There are also several men of all ages.
At the end of August, the Ukrainian government allowed men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country, where martial law has been imposed since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the decision would keep more young men in Ukraine by giving them the freedom to leave and return as they pleased. He insisted the new rule would not impair the country’s defense capabilities.
The move has sparked a debate in Ukrainian society. There are those who view the change positively, while others claim it’s unfair to active military personnel and recruits.
There are also some critics who believe that a number of the young men leaving now won’t return.
Why do young Ukrainian men want to go abroad?
DW spent three hours at the Ukrainian-Polish border, speaking with several men who were crossing into Poland. Their reasons for leaving Ukraine were varied.
Mykola, 22, is a bus driver from the Ivano-Frankivsk region. He said that he wanted to visit his brother-in-law in the Polish city of Krakow. “For a week or two at most,” he said, insisting he would be returning home where his girlfriend awaited him.
Ilya, also aged 22, from Kryvyi Rih, was on his way to Warsaw, the Polish capital, where he planned to visit relatives.
“The moment has come, and we have to seize the opportunity to see our relatives for a few days,” he said.
Voice of Ukraine 