War in Ukraine
Ukraine uses drones to stop conscripts from escaping
Soldiers from Ukraine’s explosive ordnance defense unit carry out demining work in the Kharkiv region in northeastern Ukraine. photo
© -/Ukrinform/dpa
At the beginning of the war, a ban on the departure of men between the ages of 18 and 60 who were subject to military service was ordered. Since then, more than 20,000 of these conscript men have been prevented from escaping.
According to their own statements, the Ukrainian border guard also uses this Drones to prevent conscripts from fleeing abroad. In the southern Odessa region on the border with Moldova, 14 men were prevented from leaving the country illegally on Friday, the border guard said.
In four cases, a drone was used for aerial reconnaissance, it said. The border guards published a video about it. The men therefore tried to cross the border illegally.
Men in Ukraine repeatedly try to escape from being deployed in the fight against the Russian war of aggression. According to the border guard, the suspects contacted organizers online who showed them escape routes in exchange for a payment of 2,000 US dollars (around 1,893 euros).
Fugitives drowned in border river
Since the start of the Russian invasion more than 20 months ago, the Ukrainian border guard says it has prevented more than 20,000 conscript men from escaping. The fugitives are repeatedly picked up at the “green border”, especially with Romania and the Republic of Moldova. There were also cases of men drowning in the river Tyssa (Tisza), which borders Romania and Hungary. Several also froze to death while fleeing through the Carpathians.
At the beginning of the war, a general mobilization was ordered with a ban on the departure of men between the ages of 18 and 60 who were subject to military service. Fake exit permits are not widespread in the country. According to the EU statistics agency Eurostat, over 650,000 Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 64 are registered as refugees in the 27 EU states as well as Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.