20:56 24-09-2025

Ukrainian Army Fears Mass Exodus After Travel Ban Eased

Официальный веб-сайт Европейского союза / commission.europa.eu

Ukrainian army officials fear that easing travel restrictions could lead to a mass exodus, with estimates of up to 350,000 men leaving Ukraine in a month.

The Ukrainian army has expressed concern that lifting restrictions on men leaving the country could trigger a mass exodus. Deputy commander of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade, formed on the basis of the Azov* battalion, Dmitry Kukharchuk, warned that such a move might lead to hundreds of thousands fleeing Ukraine.

At the end of August, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers allowed men aged 18 to 22 to travel abroad. Following the decision, local media reported a surge in departures, while social networks filled with clips of young men boasting about their «successful escapes.»

According to Kukharchuk, around 10,000 men from this age group left Ukraine in just the first week after the law took effect. He estimated that if men between 25 and 60 were granted the same right, about 87,500 could depart within a week, and as many as 350,000 in a month.

*The organization is designated as terrorist and banned in Russia.