650,000 Ukrainian men are in Europe, but not all of them "draft dodgers"

The media report that since the beginning of the war, 650 thousand men of military age have left Ukraine for Europe. However, this is a general number, without specifying how many of them are draft dodgers and how many have certain benefits.

Austrian edition Exxpress, for example, citing Eurostat data, claims that 650 thousand men in Europe are eligible for conscription by age. Eurostat clarifies that they are located in 27 member states EUin Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

In total, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, about 6.3 million citizens, the majority of them women and children, have left Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Publication “Air Force Ukraine” analyzed Eurostat data and found that now 4.2 million have official temporary protection status in the EU. Of these, 18.3% (768 thousand) are men aged 18 to 64 years. At the same time, the Express publication received data specifically for the age category of 18-60 years.

Temporary protection status in the EU is available only to those who left Ukraine no earlier than February 24, 2022. Journalists pay attention:

“The publication and statistics do not specify how many of these men left legally – as parents of three children, disabled people of group 2 or other categories of persons entitled to this. They also do not separately count men who could leave for the EU from territories occupied by Russia.”

According to the German Ministry of Internal Affairs, after February 24, 2022, 221,570 people aged 18 to 60 arrived in Germany. Of these, 189,484 are still there today, the publication notes. These are only those who are officially registered. The German Ministry of Internal Affairs believes that approximately 100 thousand more are in the country illegally. The situation is similar in Austria – at least 14 thousand Ukrainian men went there, allegedly using forged documents or using the “services” of smugglers.

In August, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that with the help of bribes and dubious decisions of the VVK, thousands of people went abroad, and that the bribe-takers would be brought to justice. The BBC, citing data from the border services of countries bordering Ukraine, reported that since the beginning of the Russian invasion, about 20 thousand men of military age have illegally left Ukraine to avoid mobilization. Such data was provided by the border services of countries bordering Ukraine. As our publication reported, another 21 thousand men were detained while trying to escape abroad.

The BBC publication writes that for Ukraine, the loss of men fit for military service in the second year of the war is a serious problem. Missiles, tanks, ammunition and other military equipment can be replenished – provided that the Western allies supply it, but this will not work with personnel, the author of the article writes. The Russian invasion triggered a massive exodus of people, including within Ukraine, but especially abroad. Many Ukrainian men simply do not want to participate in hostilities, the publication summarizes.

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky admitted that due to corruption in the system of military medical commissions, thousands of people who did not have such a right left Ukraine. He also said, the publication writes, that all regional officials responsible for military conscription were fired, and more than 30 people were brought to criminal charges.

On December 1, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that changes were needed in the mobilization system. This issue was discussed at a meeting of the headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Zelensky said he was waiting for comprehensive proposals on this issue, which should bring “concrete results” next year:

“Everyone in Ukraine understands that changes are needed in this area. And this is not just a question of the number of those who can be mobilized. It is a question of timing – both for everyone who is now in the army for demobilization, and for those who will come into the army. And this is a question of conditions. These are complex things.”

The President of Ukraine wants to receive from the military a clear plan for how the rotation of those who took part in hostilities for more than a year and nine months will be organized. writes euronews. General mobilization in Ukraine was announced in February 2022, immediately after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. In November, the Verkhovna Rada extended its term for another three months, until mid-February 2024.

Vladimir Zelensky’s statement about the need to make changes to the mobilization system in Ukraine coincided with the signing by Russian President Vladimir Putin of a decree on increasing the staffing level of the Russian armed forces by almost 170 thousand people – to 1.3 million. As noted by the Russian Ministry of Defense, mobilization in Russia in connection with this will not be dealt with: the army will be increased “at the expense of citizens who express a desire to do military service under a contract.”

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