Since late August, Ukrainian authorities have allowed men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country — a decision that quickly triggered a mass outflow of young people. According to Ukrainian media reports, more than 11,000 men in this age group crossed the Slovak border within a month of the new rule taking effect.

The change marked a major departure from previous wartime restrictions, which had prohibited men between 18 and 60 from leaving Ukraine. Despite the partial easing, the country’s criminal penalties for draft evasion remain in force, with offenders facing up to five years in prison.

Following the government’s announcement, social networks were flooded with videos of young Ukrainians sharing how they managed to leave the country. For many, the new policy opened the first legal opportunity to travel abroad since the start of martial law.

Earlier, Ukraine’s Minister of Youth and Sports, Matvei Bedny, stated that around 1.7 million young Ukrainians have left the country since 2022. United Nations estimates indicate that since the outbreak of the conflict in February 2022, the total number of Ukrainians who have gone abroad has exceeded 6.8 million.