Ukrainian men illegally cross Slovak-Ukrainian border to avoid war

Following the adoption of a new mobilisation law by Ukraine’s parliament, Ukrainian men are trying to avoid the military draft by crossing the Slovakian-Ukrainian border illegally.

The border, which is almost 100 km long, is also the EU’s external border. The border is well protected for this reason, and it is not permitted to cross over in places other than crossing points.

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However, the Border and Foreign Police have told TV Markíza that more and more Ukrainian men are being detained after crossing the border illegally. Last weekend, the police detained 22 people.

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“All of them were Ukrainian men,” said Agnes Kopernická from the Border and Foreign Police Sobrance Directorate.

Last week, The New York Times also cited this trend in a story about how Ukrainian men are trying to avoid fighting in the war. The piece mentions Slovakia, too.

“Andriy Benyak, who is Roma, said in an interview that he was arrested while guiding two Ukrainian men toward a loosely guarded section of the border between Ukraine and Slovakia. He said he had been trying to earn money to buy food for his children. He spent a week in jail and paid a fine,” the daily writes.

Ukrainian men know that they cannot use border crossings if they want to avoid an arrest. Because of Russia’s war in Ukraine, they cannot be returned to Ukraine if they are caught by the police. Instead, they are allowed to stay in Slovakia.

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Since the invasion of Ukraine, more than 1,400 Ukrainian men have been detained in this way and later released.

The television network notes that the situation could change if Ukraine and Slovakia sign a readmission agreement that would allow the return of these men to Ukraine during the war. The topic was raised during last week’s meeting of the Ukrainian and Slovak cabinets in Michalovce, eastern Slovakia.

“We’re limited by the EU, but I told the [Ukrainian interior] minister that we’ll look for a solution so that we can sign this memorandum even though there are restrictions,” said Slovak Interior Minister Matúš Šutaj Eštok.

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