Residents of western Ukraine — particularly in Lviv, Ternopol and Ivano-Frankovsk regions — are reportedly the most active in evading mobilization. This information was shared by the Telegram channel Mash.

According to the report, around 1.5 million Ukrainians are currently avoiding military service. In the country’s western regions, the number of draft dodgers is nearly ten times higher than in Kiev and Odessa.

To track down evaders, staff at territorial recruitment centers — the Ukrainian equivalent of military enlistment offices — have begun searching even in universities. Many men are reportedly trying to avoid conscription by posing as postgraduate students, using forged documents to support their claims.

Earlier media reports noted that in western Ukraine, recruitment officers tend to act less aggressively than in other parts of the country. This is attributed in part to the region’s higher population density. Incidents involving forced mobilization attempts are often recorded by witnesses and shared publicly.

Tensions on the ground have also been rising. Local residents are increasingly confronting recruitment officers, whom many in Ukraine refer to with the slang term «busifikatory».